Hurricane Winds
by InfinityStar
Summary: When tragedy strikes, it threatens to destroy what once was thought indestructible. This time, he might not survive. Choices AU. Crossover with House.
1. Suddenly Ill

**A/N: Here is the much-asked-for sequel to _No_ _Stone_ _Unturned_. I cannot guarantee baby Logan will be born in this one...more likely it will be the next one. This is my first cross-over with a series outside the _Law_ _and_ _Order_ realm, so, of course, I chose _House_. An oft-told piece of advice to writers is to 'tell of which you know.' Unfortunately, I tell much of this story through the eyes of experience. Enjoy!**

**A/N2: I know I have a couple of other stories in the works. I have just updated one (_Shifts_ _of_ _Fortune_) and have two more updates waiting to be uploaded while the third is nearly done, but FFN will not let me upload right now. They'll be posted during the week. I uploaded this chapter in anticipation of a later posting, but now I'm bored, so...here's the next piece of _Choices_...**

**Disclaimer: They belong to Dick Wolf, except for Maggie and Tom, who are mine. House belongs to David Shore and Fox.

* * *

_Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really are. ----Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha_**

Eames dug the hole a little deeper, then stepped back and watched her little son jump into it, giggling. Maggie returned from the surf with her bucket filled with water and announced, "Here comes-a storm, Tommy!"

Tommy covered his head with his arms and she dumped the bucket of water over his head. He laughed hysterically and she ran back toward the ocean for more. Eames was glad to watch their carefree play. They had recovered well from their ordeal at the hands of Nicole Wallace eight months ago. Tommy, she was certain, had no memory of it and suffered no lasting effects. Maggie still had the occasional nightmare, but on the whole, she was fine.

She looked up and down the beach, but saw no sign of her husband. He'd gone for a run after dinner and had not yet returned. Sensing his mother's concern, Tom looked off in the direction she was searching and said, "Dada?"

She was continually amazed by the little boy's ability to tune in to her emotions. As much in tune with Bobby as Maggie always was, so Tommy was with her. "I don't know where Daddy is, Tom. But he should be back soon."

She wasn't a bit surprised when Maggie was the first one to spot him down the beach. "There's Daddy!" she announced.

She started running toward him. Tommy climbed out of his hole and ran after her. With a laugh, Eames got to her feet and followed the children as they ran the entire way into their father's arms. She leaned up for a kiss and said, "They missed you."

"I wasn't gone that long."

"You didn't have to be."

He set the kids down and they ran back to their sand toys and Tommy's hole. Goren watched the little guy disappear below the sand. "She's not trying to bury him, is she?"

"No. The hole was his idea, and I helped him dig it. She's just pretending to be a storm and trying to drown him."

"Oh. That's so much better."

She laughed. They walked in silence, hand-in-hand, toward the children. She looked up at him and said, "Is something bothering you, Bobby?"

"No. Why?"

"You seem restless."

"I'm always restless, Alex. You keep pointing that out."

"If something were bothering you, would you tell me, or would I have to force it out of you?"

He dropped down into the sand beside the baby's hole. "I'm getting better," he said. "I tell you things."

"Not always."

"I'm trying, Alex." He grinned mischievously. "Though sometimes it is more fun getting forced."

She gave him a shove and he laughed. It was an easy, genuine laugh, and she felt reassured. Sometimes, Bobby just needed time alone with his thoughts, and she had come to understand and accept that about him. She had a harder time with it than Maggie did, but she also lacked the connection and the deep understanding of him that their little girl seemed to have. She had her father's perceptive intuition, for certain, and she seemed to be attuned to people's feelings in a way she had never seen in a child. Tommy seemed to have the same sensitivity. There was no doubt in her mind that these were Bobby's children.

Stretching out his legs, Goren leaned back on his arms and watched Maggie chase her bucket around at the edge of the surf. The breakers crashed into the beach and she laughed as the water chased her up the sand. When the water reached its apex on the shore, she would turn and chase it back out to sea. Then the surf caught her bucket and she ran closer to the water, trying to grab it. She let the waves crash around her legs and stumbled from the force of the water. "Maggie," Goren called. "Not so far out."

"Okay, Daddy. But my bucket is swimmin' away."

"I'll get it."

Eames watched as he got lightly to his feet and headed toward the surf. Just as he got to the waterline, a big breaker swept in and crashed over Maggie's head, smashing into him hard enough to knock him back a few steps. He swore as Maggie disappeared in the surf and he dove into the water after her. Eames jumped to her feet, powerless to do anything but panic and trust Bobby to find her under the waves.

The icy fear that gripped her heart eased when she saw him out in the surf, chest deep in water, but obviously holding her in his arms and talking to her. As he made his way in toward the shore, Maggie's crying drifted to her ears over the noise of the crashing surf. Lifting Tommy from his hole, she headed toward the waterline to meet them. Maggie was still sobbing and holding on to Bobby for dear life as he walked from the water. He was pale. She reached out and laid a hand on Maggie's back as the little girl coughed and spit water down her father's back. "Are you okay, baby?" she asked.

"The w-water tried-a eat me, M-mommy!"

"Are you okay, though?"

"Daddy got me away from it."

Eames met his eyes. "Are _you_ okay?"

He shook his head. He was anything but okay at the moment. "Um, let's go back to the cabin."

A friend of Bobby's had a nice cabin on a private beach south of Belmar, New Jersey, and they thought it would be nice to take the kids away for a few days. They loved the beach and Maggie was fascinated by the ocean. Tommy preferred the sand...in his hair, in his diaper, in his mouth... He made his mother laugh every evening when she tied to de-sand him. Now, as they headed back to the cabin, Eames carried the baby and watched her husband and daughter closely. Maggie was no longer sobbing, but she had not released her grip on him. She rested her head on his shoulder and her eyes were half-closed. Tommy reached out a hand toward her. "Maga?" he said softly.

She reached out and took his hand in hers. Goren turned his head to look at the baby, then shifted his eyes toward Eames. She touched his cheek, and he closed his eyes for a second. He still felt shaky. He kissed Maggie's head and let out a heavy breath, struggling to keep it steady.

Within a few minutes, they were in the cabin. Eames took Tommy to the bathroom to clean him up and Goren took Maggie into the bedroom she was sharing with her brother. He changed her into her pajamas and gently combed her wet hair. He caressed her cheek. "I'll be right back. I need to get changed."

She nodded and hugged her rabbit while he was gone. When he returned, she held her arms out to him and he lifted her up. "Do you want some juice or something, mouse?"

"No, Daddy."

"Do you want to sit with me on the couch?"

She nodded. "I feel bad."

"How?"

"Just...bad. My tummy hurts and I feel...shaky."

He pulled her into a hug and gently kissed her. It was probably a combination of the seawater she had swallowed when the wave washed her under and the fright she'd had. He still felt shaky inside. He carried her into the living room and sat down on the couch, leaning back against the arm. She curled up against him, with her head on his shoulder. She had begun to get away from her lifelong habit of burying her hand in his hair, but when she was sick or scared, or otherwise unsettled or stressed, she sought comfort in his arms and always nestled her hand into his hair. It was what she did now, and he rested his head back against the couch and closed his eyes.

The next thing he knew, Maggie was whimpering. He stirred, glancing at the time. It was after nine. Gently, he pressed his lips against her temple, shocked at the heat that met his skin. "Alex?"

"What's wrong?"

She got up from the table and crossed the room to the couch. He sat up. "She has a fever."

Eames rested her hand against Maggie's forehead and met his worried eyes. "Maybe we should take her to the hospital. Just to be sure she's all right." He didn't argue, and she didn't know whether to be worried or reassured. "I'll get Tommy."

"I'll put her in the car."

When she opened the back door of the car to put Tom in his carseat, Maggie was already in hers, awake and holding tightly to her father's hand. "How do you feel, sweetheart?"

"Bad."

Eames didn't doubt it; she looked like she felt bad. Touching her cheek, she was shocked at the heat that radiated from Maggie's skin. Her fever was escalating. Sliding behind the wheel, she headed toward the closest hospital, located in nearby Tom's River. She wasted no time getting there.

The emergency room was not busy, so they were able to take them right back. They took Maggie's temperature, blood pressure, pulse, respirations, and then they started an IV right away. She barely made a sound when the needle slipped through her skin, and that worried both of her parents. The nurse said, "Her blood pressure is a little low, and she has a good fever."

Goren looked at her with a frown. "What the hell is a good fever?"

"Bobby..." Eames said softly. "Don't."

He turned his attention back to his daughter and the nurse let it go. She dealt with distraught parents all the time. "How long has she been sick?"

Eames answered, "She had a minor disagreement with the ocean this afternoon. She went to sleep afterwards and woke up with a fever. We brought her right in."

"What kind of disagreement?"

Eames glanced at Goren, but he was now hyperfocused on Maggie, so she went on. "She got washed under by a breaker on the beach."

"How long was she under?"

"Not long. Her father got right to her."

"Did she stop breathing or anything?"

"No. But she was scared, and she probably swallowed some water. She was coughing and she regurgitated some water after he brought her out."

"Was she in the water to begin with?"

Goren looked toward her again. "By herself? Absolutely not. Why would you think we'd let her play in the surf by herself? She was near the waterline and when she got too close, I went after her. A large breaker caught her by surprise before I got to her. I went right in and got her out."

"How long was she under?"

"I don't know. It wasn't long but it felt like forever."

"She never lost consciousness?"

"No. She started crying as soon as we broke surface, and she coughed and spit out a lot of water."

The nurse wrote what they told her into Maggie's chart and said, "Dr. Cassidy will be in shortly."

Eames paced back and forth at the foot of the stretcher in the small cubicle with Tommy sleeping on her shoulder. Goren sat in a chair beside Maggie, watching her and smoothing her hair back off her hot, sweaty forehead. Eames was worried about Maggie, but she worried about him, too. He was too still. She always worried when he got still.

The nurse returned a few minutes later and drew blood from Maggie's IV. "What's that for?" Goren asked.

"The doctor ordered some bloodwork."

"What did he order?" He raised a hand before she could give him a condescending answer. "My mother has been ill all my life. I understand the tests."

She nodded as if understanding him a little better. "A CBC, a basic chemistry panel and a blood culture."

"A blood culture?"

"Because of the fever. If she does have a blood infection, we need to know right away."

He nodded and turned his attention back to Maggie without another word. Eames followed the nurse from the cubicle and said softly, "He's not usually like this."

"It's all right. I do understand."

Eames smiled and watched her walk away before she returned to the cubicle. Goren glanced at her, his face unreadable. "You don't have to apologize for me, Eames."

"I wasn't apologizing. I was explaining."

"Same thing."

Again he turned away and she shook her head. He was never pleasant when he was stressed. If Maggie got any worse, his attitude would disintegrate, too.

More than an hour passed, and she knew he was getting increasingly uneasy. She hoped the doctor would come in before Bobby got it in his mind to go and get him. As if reading her thoughts, the curtain moved and a young doctor came into the cubicle. Goren got to his feet as the doctor extended his hand to each of them in turn. "Good evening, folks. I'm Dr. Cassidy. Tell me, how much time passed between the time Maggie went under the waves and the time she developed the fever?"

Eames looked at Goren and said, "A couple of hours."

He nodded. "I sat down on the couch with her because she didn't feel good. I thought it was from swallowing too much seawater."

"How did she not feel good?"

"She said her stomach hurt and she felt bad. Shaky."

Cassidy nodded. "You made a reasonable assumption."

"But a wrong one," Goren added, not asking but asserting.

"Not necessarily." He looked at the clipboard in his hand. "Some of her electrolytes are a little off but not bad. Her CBC is all right. But her fever is very high and we aren't sure exactly what's causing it. Has she woken since you brought her in?"

Goren shook his head. "When she has a fever, she sleeps."

The doctor stepped to the side of the stretcher and gently examined her. "Her lung sounds are a little coarse. Do you think she inhaled any water?"

"She could have."

The doctor nodded and gently laid his hand on her chest. "Maggie?" he said quietly, trying to wake her. She didn't respond and he looked at Goren, then at Eames. Both faces showed alarm. "Does she usually waken easily?"

"Too easily, sometimes," Eames replied. "She has never been a heavy sleeper. Not even when she's sick. Try to wake her, Bobby." To the doctor she explained, "If she doesn't respond to him, something is very wrong."

Goren felt the bottom drop out of his gut when Maggie failed to waken for him. He swallowed his panic and sought comfort by gently stroking her hair again. Eames was also fighting down panic. Something was not right.

Cassidy grabbed a blood pressure cuff from the wall and took her blood pressure, frowning deeply. He shook his head slowly. "I'll be right back."

Goren grabbed his arm and leaned toward him, not caring if his body language was menacing. "What's wrong?"

The doctor winced at the power in his grasp and he forced himself to loosen his hold. Calmly, Cassidy answered, "She's showing signs of shock. I don't know what's wrong. I need to make a phone call."

Goren met his eyes, distressed by the worry in the young doctor's eyes. He released his hold on the man's arm and let him go. Pointedly avoiding his wife's face, he turned back to Maggie. Eames sighed. She made her way over to him and gently placed Tommy in his arms. He looked at her, and she leaned up and kissed him softly. "My arms are tired," she lied.

He shifted, setting the sleeping baby on his shoulder and resting his other hand on Maggie's hot head. Eames stood beside him, watching Maggie with worried eyes as she held her daughter's hand and leaned against her husband's arm. She did not have to look at Bobby; she could feel him settle down. He was still agitated, and very worried, but holding the baby took the edge off his agitation, and she helped him to calm simply by touching him. She leaned closer and spoke softly, "Try to keep it together. You won't do her any good at all if you give the doctors a hard time."

"I know."

She ran the fingers of her free hand along his cheek, then gently rested her hand along the small of his back and watched Maggie while they waited for the doctor to return. Cassidy came back into the cubicle and looked from one to the other. "I will be honest with you. I have no idea what is wrong with your daughter, but she is very sick. With the fever and symptoms of shock along with her rapid deterioration, I don't want to take any chances and I've called for an air evacuation to a nearby hospital, a teaching hospital with some of the best doctors I know on staff. They will be able to tell you more than I can."

"Is she going to be all right?" Goren asked, momentarily calm.

"I'll let the intensivists at Princeton-Plainsboro address that question. I don't have an answer for you. The helicopter is on its way, and one of you may accompany Maggie. The nurses can supply the other with directions to the hospital."

Neither of them noticed Cassidy's departure. Eames said quietly, "I'll get the directions and start out now. We'll meet you there. You stay with Maggie."

She leaned up and gently kissed his cheek. He touched her jaw with his fingertips and turned into her kiss, letting it linger. He felt himself settle, though he knew it was temporary. She whispered, "Try to stay calm, Bobby. I love you."

"I love you, too," he replied, his voice tight with worry.

She caressed his cheek for a moment, then turned and kissed Maggie. Goren placed a gentle kiss on Tommy's head. The baby sighed softly as Eames took him from his father's arms. "I'll see you shortly."

"Be careful."

She met his eyes one last time and headed to the nurses' station for the promised directions. By the time she got to the car, set Tom in his carseat and headed on her way, the helicopter was landing on the roof of the hospital building.

Goren watched miserably as they got Maggie transferred onto the stretcher for the helicopter transport. All his brain would process was how small she looked on the stretcher. She had her mother's petite size and now, she looked even smaller.

They motioned for him to come with them and headed for the helipad on the roof. Once situated in the aircraft, the pilot took his place while the paramedic and the flight nurse briefly introduced themselves as they prepared for liftoff.

It was a brief flight, but for Goren it was interminable. Halfway to the hospital, Maggie stopped breathing.


	2. Beyond His Control

Eames pulled into an open parking space and got out of the car, glancing toward the roof of the hospital. The helicopter sat on the helipad, rotors still slowly turning. She pulled the still sleeping baby from his seat, locked the car and hurried into the building.

As soon as she gave her name, they hurried her back into the depths of the emergency room. She didn't like the urgency in the nurse who accompanied her or the looks she was being given. Quietly, the nurse said, "I hope you can do something, Mrs. Goren, or they are going to sedate him."

She swore softly and walked faster. She caught sight of him in the hallway; he looked frantic. Her heart leaped and lodged firmly in her throat. The nurse held her arms out. "Here. Let me take your son so you can deal with him."

Eames did not hesitate to let her take Tom. "Bobby..." she called softly.

He turned at the sound of her voice and approached her. Without a word, he pulled her into his arms and held her. He was trembling. "What happened?" she asked softly as she wrapped her arms around him.

As he started speaking, she sensed the effort it took for him to keep his voice even. "Sh-she stopped breathing," he whispered and Eames caught her breath, a tremor of pure fear coursing through her body. "They...they're working on her." He took a deep breath. "M-more bloodwork. X-rays." Then he couldn't keep the tremor from his voice. "Sh-she looks so...little, Alex."

She tightened her arms around his waist, unable to fully comprehend the nightmare they now found themselves in. She was somewhat relieved when something broke through his panic and he pulled back a little. "Where's the baby?"

She nodded at the nurse behind her and for the first time he registered someone else's presence. He looked at her for a moment. "Thank you," he said quietly.

She nodded. Reluctantly, he let his wife step back. She said, "I called Dad and Mike. They're both on the way. Carolyn will probably come with Mike. He promised he would call Deakins. They'll take care of Tommy, and they'll help us as mucha s they can. You really need to try to settle, Bobby. I know it's hard, but you have to try."

He nodded, resuming his agitated pacing, one hand clamped against the back of his neck, the other shoved into his pocket for lack of anything else to do with it. More than ever before, his wife was his lifeline; he would truly be lost right now without her. He had no clue what to do with himself, but just having her there, he felt calmer, more in control. He could almost convince himself everything would be all right.

Eames took Tommy back from the nurse and said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." She nodded toward Goren. "I'm glad you're here. He's better."

She nodded with a tense smile and gently bounced the baby in her arms, holding him close. She was as lost as Bobby was. Neither of them knew what to do.

* * *

Dr. Robert Chase hated being on call. It never failed. Something always seemed to come up on his watch. Now, standing in the triage room, he studied the little girl on the stretcher in front of him. These were always the worst ones, the children. Cameron was going to have a hard time dealing with this one. And this child's father was going to be a handful as well, if the nurses were right. They had already had to threaten him with sedation twice.

He watched the steady rise and fall of her chest as the respirator helped her to breathe but she was stable now. It had taken over an hour to find the right combination of medication to settle her system down. Now he had to go out and talk to her father. He sighed and headed for the door.

* * *

Goren turned when the door behind him opened. A young doctor stepped into the hallway. "Mr. Goren?"

"How is she?" The doctor glanced at Eames and it took a moment for the gesture to register with him. "Uh, my wife, Alex. Maggie's mother."

"I'm Dr. Chase. Maggie is stable for now, but I need to explain a few things before I let you in to see her. First, as you are aware, Maggie stopped breathing on the way in. We have her on a respirator to help her breathe. We aren't sure exactly what happened, why she is so sick, but we are trying to find that out. We've ordered some bloodwork and taken some x-rays. We placed a catheter in her bladder to measure her urine output, and right now it is very low, so we are going to keep an eye on that as well. When she went into shock, her kidneys began to shut down. The story we got was that she was washed under by a big breaker in the ocean. Is that correct?"

Goren nodded tightly. "She wasn't under for long. I got right to her."

Chase nodded. "Right now the plan is to transfer her to the pediatric intensive care unit and continue treatment for shock and support of her vital systems. We will monitor her closely. She's going to be admitted under the care of Dr. Gregory House. I am one of the residents who works with him. You will meet Drs. Cameron and Foreman in the morning. Dr. House will be by to see you as well." They did not see the fingers he had crossed behind his back. "You may come in to see Maggie now."

They followed Chase into the triage room. Eames stepped up to the bed, softly gasping. She was not used to seeing Maggie so still. Like her father, she was always a flurry of movement. She watched his hand settle on her forehead, feeling steadied by his other hand, which came to rest against her back.

After a few moments, he withdrew his hands from both of them and reached around to take Tom from his mother's arms. Gently, he laid the sleeping baby on the bed beside his sister, careful to avoid the wires, tubes and catheters that snaked around the bed. Tom sighed in his sleep and turned toward his sister. Goren then slipped his arms around Eames, resting his cheek against her head as he watched Maggie. She could still feel the tremor that coursed through his body. Softly, she said, "I want you to stay here with her. I'll get a room nearby and when Dad gets here, I'll be back. Will you be all right while I'm gone?"

"I-I don't know," he answered honestly. "I don't...know what to do."

"Just sit with her and don't give the doctors a hard time. They are trying to figure out what's wrong and make her well again. Let them help her."

She leaned back into his arms, maximizing the contact between them, and she once again felt him settle. His shaking became less violent, and his breathing was more regular, calmer. She lightly caressed his arms and he sighed softly. "I...I'll try."

She wouldn't ask for more than he could give. Within the next half hour, they were ready to move Maggie to the ICU. Goren moved to pick Tommy up, but a nurse gently touched his arm. "He's okay. You can leave him there until we get upstairs."

He nodded his gratitude, not trusting his voice any more. They disconnected her from the respirator and attached an ambu-bag to the tubing, to hand-ventilate her on the trip to the unit. They also disconnected her from the heart monitor and moved the IV pump to the foot of the stretcher. Then they wheeled her from the room.

* * *

The lighting in the small room was subdued. The only sounds were the rasp of the respirator, the beep of the monitor above the bed and the quiet, intermittent whir of the IV pump. In silence, Goren studied his little daughter. If he thought she looked small on the transport gurney, she looked tiny in the hospital bed they had transferred her to. He smoothed back her hair; her forehead was still hot and sweaty. Why had she gone into shock? His mind reviewed the reasons the body went into shock, and none of them fit. He wondered if the doctors were telling him everything. Since Alex had taken the baby and gone to wait for her father to arrive, he felt himself floundering. He felt even more lost, and he didn't know how to stay on an even keel. Everything was spinning beyond his control and he was tempted to call her and ask her to come back. But the baby didn't need to be here. If he got sick, too, he really would lose it. John would be there in another hour or so. Then Alex would be back. He could make it until then. He just could not handle this alone; he needed her.

Exhausted, he eased himself into the chair beside the bed. He took her little hand in his big one and laid his other one against her head. He rested his own head on his arm and just looked at her little face. "Come on, mouse," he whispered. "I need you to come back to me."

She didn't answer him.


	3. Stable

Eames laid the baby on the bed near the window and called her father and then Logan, to let them know where she was. They were still over an hour out. She wasn't surprised to hear that Mike was a little closer. She expected him to arrive a full half hour or more before her father. Logan drove like Bobby did.

For lack of anything else to do, she laid down beside her little son, tucking her arm around him and drawing him in against her body. His soft sigh as he snuggled into her reassured her, made her feel more connected to life in general. Although she fought it, fatigue claimed her exhausted mind and body, and she slept.

She woke with a start to a booming knock. _Mike_. She got up quickly and hurried to the door, pulling it open. Without hesitation, she stepped into his arms. He rested his head against hers and held her tight. "It'll be okay, Alex."

"You didn't see her, Mike."

"Where's Bobby?"

"Where do you think he is? He's not going to leave her." He heard no resentment in her voice, only grief. He kissed her forehead as she looked past him. "Where's Carolyn?"

"She wasn't feeling up to the ride when I woke her up, so I dropped her off at the captain's place. She'll come down with him tomorrow. I thought this morning sickness stuff went away after a few weeks."

"It all depends. Some women suffer with it until the baby is born."

"Great. She hates being sick and every time she is, she gives me that _Look what you did to me, you asshole_ look. If I were into fortune telling, I would predict this kid's gonna be an only child." He tightened his arms around her. "How's Maggie doing?"

"Not good." She hesitated to bring her emotions in check. "Mike, she stopped breathing, and they have her on a respirator."

He shuddered at the thought of his little bunny in a hospital bed, needing a machine to help her breathe. He swallowed a lump in his throat. "Why? What the hell happened?"

She stepped away from him and sat on the bed closest to the door, wrapping her arms around her torso. "Nothing, that's just it. She got washed under by a breaker, but Bobby got her right out. There's no reason for this. Bobby didn't get sick."

His heart went out to them both. "But he's going to make himself sick now. Go on back to the hospital, Alex. I'll stay here with the little mite. Tell Bobby I'll see him later, and give Maggie a kiss for me."

She looked toward the bed where Tommy slept, blissfully unaware of his sister's struggle against whatever it was that had taken her health. Again she fought her tears. She walked over to the bed, leaned down and kissed Tommy, running a gentle hand over his wispy, blonde curls. She crossed the room and wrapped her arms around Logan's waist. "You know what to feed him?"

"Pizza and beer. Got it." He grinned when she pulled back to glare at him. "Don't worry. I've taken care of him before. Tom and I will be fine. Go take care of your husband. He's the one who'll need it."

"Thank you, Mike."

He kissed her forehead again. "Go."

She left the room, and he sat on the bed by the baby and flipped on the television.

* * *

She stood in the doorway and watched in silence. Exhaustion and stress had finally overtaken him, but he remained in physical contact with Maggie, which didn't surprise her. A hand touched her back and she looked into the kind face of Maggie's nurse. "My name is Sara," she said quietly. "He fell asleep about thirty minutes ago." 

"Did you have to sedate him?"

"No, but Dr. Chase did leave orders for it. I heard he was difficult downstairs."

"He's just scared. She means the world to him, and it will kill him if we lose her." She shuddered involuntarily at the meaning behind those words. "How is she?"

"No worse. She's taking a few breaths on her own, and she's stable. So far her blood culture is negative, and so is her urine culture. We don't think it's an infection."

"That's good?"

"Yes."

"Then what's wrong with her?"

"They haven't figured that out yet."

"Has Dr. House been in yet?"

Sara hesitated. "You haven't met Dr. House, have you?"

"No. Not yet. Why? What's wrong with him?"

"He's a brilliant doctor...but his bedside manner can leave something to be desired. The word...unconventional comes to mind. But he will take good care of Maggie. That much I can promise."

"As long as he makes her well. How bad can his manner be?"

Sara just smiled, squeezed her arm and walked away. Eames wondered at that as she watched the nurse depart. _Unconventional_. In her experience, unconventional was a very good thing. She turned back into the room and walked to Maggie's bed. Stepping around to the other side, she leaned down and kissed her daughter.

Sensing the movement in the room, Goren tensed suddenly, then lifted his head, looking around until his bloodshot eyes rested on her. She felt her heart drop at the look in his eyes when he realized that everything that had happened was very real; it hadn't been a nightmare. She walked around to him, slipped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "Hey, baby," she whispered to him. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"I...didn't mean to fall asleep," he answered.

She rested her cheek against the side of his head. "Anything much happen while I was gone?"

He shook his head. "They added antibiotics to her IV, just in case, but they don't think it's an infection."

"Then why the antibiotics?"

"It's their first line of offense. If they're wrong, delaying treatment can cost time she can't spare. They said it wouldn't hurt her, and if she doesn't need them, they can stop them. Th-they also gave her a dose of steroids, to see if she responds to them. They...they will reduce inflammation, maybe get her kidneys working right again...depending on why they shut down in the first place. They're thinking inflammation, but they don't know from what. They drew more blood." She kneaded the muscles at the base of his neck and he leaned his head back into her chest. "Your dad is here?"

"No. Mike is. He drives like you do."

"How's the baby?"

"Still sleeping."

"And how are you?"

"A little better than you are, but not much."

He was silent for a long minute. "How can I help her?"

Her breath caressed his ear as she answered in a whisper, "By staying calm and letting the doctors do their job. I know you hate to leave anything in someone else's hands, but you have to let them help her."

He was silent for a long moment as he watched Maggie's chest rise and fall in sync with the machine. She felt a subtle change in the muscles beneath her hands, an almost imperceptible droop of his shoulders. If there was one thing she'd learned in her years as his partner, it was how to read his most subtle gestures, to communicate without seeming to. And she knew the struggle that was going through his head. He was lost and he didn't know how to find his way.

"Bobby," she said softly as she slid her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek into his. "If you give up, then Maggie doesn't stand a chance. She has to know that _you_ are here, more than anyone."

"You're her mother," he protested half-heartedly.

"I am, and I love her dearly. I know she loves me. But you...come on, Bobby. You have always been special to her. You know what you mean to her. Remember when she was a baby? How she would sometimes cry and not stop until you were there, and then she'd smile and settle right down to go to sleep? She _needs_ you here, with her."

"I'm not going anywhere," he muttered. He took Maggie's hand, held it snugged in his much-larger hand. "I...I'm scared, Alex."

"I know you are. So am I. But we can't let that beat us." She gently stroked his hair. "You're exhausted. Put your head back down and go to sleep for a little while. I'll watch Maggie."

"But you..."

She stepped around and kissed him. "Don't worry about me. Rest for a little while...unless you want to go..."

"I'm not going anywhere," he repeated, his voice firm.

There was that stubborn streak, and she smiled to see it. She knew he meant it. She gently pushed his shoulders toward the bed. "Go ahead and put your head down. I promise I'll wake you if anything happens."

He resisted just for a moment before he let her push his head and shoulders toward the mattress. He rested his hand against Maggie's head and put his head back on his arm. Then his wife began to gently rub his shoulders and his back, and he didn't know anything more.

* * *

Dr. Gregory House limped into his office as the day began and groaned when he saw the file sitting on his desk. He really had to teach these kids to say no to a case every once in awhile. He propped the cane next to the desk and picked up the file. _Goren, Margaret. Age five_. A child...This would be right up Cameron's alley. He opened the file and began to read. 

By the time he finished with the file, Chase, Cameron and Foreman were there, waiting. "Want to bring us up to speed, Chase, since you accepted this case?"

"A five-year-old girl presented with sudden-onset fever which quickly progressed to shock leading to respiratory distress. She was air evacuated from Tom's River and intubated en route when she stopped breathing. She has a decline in kidney function with associated electrolyte imbalances and a diffuse infiltrate bilaterally in her lungs. I started her on ampicillin and clindamycin, and gave her a 250 mg bolus of solumedrol."

"You're bothering me with a simple case of pneumonia?"

"There's nothing simple about this, and it's more than just pneumonia. Her condition deteriorated rapidly and for no apparent reason. Maggie was asymptomatic until after an incident on the beach."

"What kind of incident?" Foreman asked.

"She was playing near the water and got hit by a breaker and swept under. Her father got right to her and claims she wasn't under for long. He says she never stopped breathing or showed any ill effects outside of being frightened by what happened."

House looked thoughtful. "Foreman and Cameron, go talk to the parents and see what they tell you. I want to see if the story remains consistent."

Foreman looked at Cameron and Chase, rolled his eyes and headed for the door. As he pulled it open, House said, "I saw that."

Foreman ignored him and left the office with his colleagues right behind him.

* * *

Logan slept comfortably, vaguely aware of movement in the bed beside him. His sleeping brain was still processing the movement when almost twenty pounds of little boy squealed and pounced into the middle of his belly, knocking the breath from him in a single 'oof.' "Unna My!!!" 

Little arms threw themselves around his neck and he had to smile. "Hey, tiger."

Tommy sat up and looked around the room. "Gapa!"

Stretched out on the other bed was John. He turned his head toward his youngest grandchild and smiled. "Good morning, Tom."

Logan pushed himself up onto an elbow, his other arm around Tom. "When did you get here?"

John looked at the clock, which read 7:34. "Three-thirty or so. Alex left word at the desk for them to give me a key so I wouldn't wake the baby. She said Maggie is still the same."

He watched Tommy climb off Logan and slide to the floor, toddling to the bathroom. "Mama? Dada?" He came out and looked under the beds. "Maga?"

"They're not here, buddy." Logan sighed heavily.

Tom headed to his grandfather and held up his arms. John picked him up and hugged him. "It's all right, baby."

"Mama?"

"Mommy'll be here in a little while, Tom. Are you hungry?"

Tom nodded. "Donut, Gapa!"

John had to chuckle. "After you have eggs."

Logan sighed. "Did Alex say if they have any idea what made Maggie sick?"

"Not yet, they don't."

Logan fell silent, not wanting to address the dark thoughts running through his mind. "John, do you mind if I run over to the hospital? I really want to be sure Bobby's okay."

"Go on, Mike. I'll get Tommy dressed and get him breakfast. Give my princess a kiss for me."

Logan nodded and, after stopping to kiss Tom's head, he left the room.

* * *

Eames was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching Maggie. Goren hadn't slept long, but she was relieved that he had slept at all. His head was still resting against his arm, but his dark eyes were on his little girl. 

She slid off the bed and leaned over to softly kiss him. He closed his eyes for a moment. Then her hand sifted through his hair. "I'm going to check on Tommy. I want to be sure Mike gives him more than a donut and a soda for breakfast."

He didn't raise his head. "Mike takes good care of the baby. And your dad's here. Besides, a donut and a soda one time isn't going to hurt him."

She kissed his temple. "No, but then he'll come to expect it and I have plenty of other battles on my hands without adding another. Sometimes Dad can be as bad as you and Mike when the kids beg. Mush, every last one of you." She was reassured a little to see the corner of his mouth raised in an imitation of a small smile. She kissed that smile. "I love you, Bobby. I'll be back in a little while."

"I..." he swallowed. "Do you have to leave?"

"I need to see Tom and I imagine he wants to see at least one of us. So unless you want to leave..."

"No. No, I don't."

He slowly sat up, stretching his back as his wife leaned over to kiss Maggie. Then she kissed him again, softly, lingering. Touching her forehead to his, she said quietly, "Just remember that they are helping her. Behave. I'll be back in a little while."

He nodded, reluctant to see her go. Everything spun beyond his control when his wife wasn't there. As she got to the door, he called to her. She turned and he studied her for a long moment, contemplating what she meant to his life, eternally grateful that she had chosen to spend the rest of her life with him, in spite of his many shortcomings. "I love you, too, Alex," he said, unable to keep the emotion from his voice.

She returned to him, folding her arms around his neck and hugging him. "We'll get her through this," she whispered into his ear, filling her voice with a confidence she did not fully feel.

His arms tightened around her waist and it was with great reluctance that he finally released her. "Kiss Tom for me," he said.

"I'll bring him up to see you and Maggie." She rested her lips against his forehead. "I won't be gone long."

He watched her leave, fighting another urge to call her back. Turning back to the bed, he rested his chin on folded arms and reached forward, lightly tracing her arm with a finger. "Come on, baby. Wake up."

He moved his hand up toward her head, smoothing her hair back from her forehead. He let his mind focus on seeing her smile and her bright eyes. He listened to the memory of her laughter, of his name being called by her voice, and he remembered the surge of tender love he felt every time she patted his cheek or nestled her hand into his hair when she was tired. A single tear trailed its way over a cheek that only yesterday she had kissed after whispering into his ear, "I love you, Daddy." He would give his life to hear those words spoken one more time.


	4. Meeting Dr House

Not much time had passed after his wife's departure before he sensed rather than noticed another presence in the room. Turning his head, he looked toward the door. He recognized Chase, but not the two other doctors with him. Chase came forward as Goren sat up and released his hold on Maggie's hand. "These are my colleagues, Mr. Goren: Dr. Cameron and Dr. Foreman. They'd like to hear what happened to Maggie from you."

Foreman made an excuse to leave the room, knowing that House wanted separate accounts. The man was suspicious of everyone. Cameron stepped forward and looked at Maggie. She touched the child's hand, then looked at her distraught father. "I'm Dr. Cameron. Tell me what happened to Maggie."

She was touched by the real pain in his dark eyes as he recounted the hours up to Maggie's transfer to Princeton-Plainsboro. She could hear the grief in his voice, and she felt for him, having to recount this story time and again, reliving his daughter's trauma, and his own. She touched his arm. "We'll do everything we can for her."

It wasn't real reassurance, but it was the best she could do, not knowing why the little girl had fallen ill. She saw in his eyes that he understood that she could not give him more than that. He did not want false promises and she would not offer any. She gave him a soft smile, then left the room. Foreman went right in, and Cameron looked at Chase. "I feel so bad for him. I think House is barking up the wrong tree if he thinks that man did anything to his daughter."

Chase nodded. "You know House. He thrives on barking up any and every tree he can find." He sighed.

"What's your impression of the little girl?"

"Based on the file and what he just told me, I would say something in the ocean hurt her."

"Like what? There isn't a mark on her."

She shrugged. "That I can't say, but what else could it be?"

They waited for Foreman, and when he came out of the room, his face was grim. "Let's go talk to House. I want to find out what's wrong with this kid."

Chase and Cameron looked at each other, surprised by Foreman's fervor. He was their resident pessimistic nay-sayer. Chase poked his head in the door. "We'll be back, Mr. Goren."

He had to jog to catch up to Foreman and Cameron.

* * *

Eames walked the short distance from the hospital to the motel where her son was with his grandfather. Right now, she wasn't sure what she would do without the bright little boy she was going to see. She didn't have the luxury of focusing on Maggie, and for that she was almost grateful, which made her feel guilty. She had a focus beyond her sick little girl that Bobby was not allowing himself. But she understood that. It was just the way he was. Once that mind of his grabbed hold of something, it didn't readily let it go. She had seen that single-mindedness of his many times over the years she had known him. It served him very well in the pursuit of the criminals he went after. His focus enabled him to get deep into their minds but it was his attachment to her that enabled him to come back. She also knew that his attachment to her was what was keeping him together now. 

But what was keeping her together? Part of it was her own resilience and inner strength. For all his physical strength, Bobby's emotional side was very fragile, an artifact of his childhood. Her own emotions were much more stable, and she knew he drew on that stability to keep himself on an even keel. She didn't mind being his strength, for in doing so, she drew strength of her own from him.

She opened the motel room door and stepped into the room. "Mama!" Tommy squealed.

The sight of his smile shone through the darkness she had found herself trapped by. Her little shining star, complete with a ring of jelly around a mouth that reminded her very much of his father. Bobby's smile was rarely so bright, but it was his smile that graced their son's face.

"Jelly, Dad?"

"He had eggs, bacon and toast first."

Tommy took his sippy cup from the table in front of him and held it up for his mother to see. "Mik, Mama."

"Milk is very good, baby." She kissed the top of his head and looked at the jelly donut he had smashed on his plate as he ate it. "What a mess."

"Mess," he repeated, giggling.

"Yes, little man. Mess."

He tipped his head back to look at her. "Dada?"

"I'll take you to see Daddy in a little while. After a bath."

"Maga?"

"Yes, and Maggie, too."

He shoved another fistful of donut into his mouth. Eames looked at her father. "Why a jelly donut? You know what he does to them."

John smiled. "Yes. He obliterates them. I let him pick the one he wanted because he finished his breakfast."

"He will always choose a jelly donut if you give him the choice."

John studied her with an eye that knew her well. She was focusing on the donut to keep her mind away from darker thoughts. It hurt his heart to think of his little princess in a hospital bed, fighting for her life. He couldn't imagine how hard it was for her parents. Bobby would be in a fragile state right now, he knew, and Alex would have to be strong for them both. It was a heavy burden. He stepped to her side and touched her cheek, his eyes filled with sympathy and pride. He saw her resolve to be strong fade and she stepped into his arms, allowing herself the freedom to touch her emotions and cry in her father's embrace. There was no one else in the world right now she could lose herself with, and she needed him.

* * *

Logan had no trouble finding the intensive care unit. The nurse at the center station in the unit directed him to Maggie's room, and he wondered at the look she gave him. He stood in the doorway for a moment, his eyes riveted to the little body in the big bed. He felt an icy hand squeeze his heart and his eyes shifted to Goren, who hadn't yet noticed him. He stepped into the room and Goren turned to look at him. Logan made a weak attempt at a smile. "Hey, man." 

Goren seemed glad to see him. "Thanks for coming, Mike. How's Tom?"

"He was looking under the bed for Maggie when I left. That was after he went looking for Alex and you."

A wave of guilt hit Goren. He shifted his eyes toward Maggie, knowing this was where he needed to be, but he missed his happy little son and couldn't blame Alex for leaving to be with him. "What did you give him for breakfast?"

"I left before he ate, but he asked for a donut."

"Alex was afraid of that. You would have given him a donut, too."

"You know me. I'm a sucker for a little _please_." He rested a hand on Goren's shoulder. "How are you doing, Bobby?"

"I...I don't know what to do, Mike."

Logan looked at Maggie. "She looks..." He searched for the words but they eluded him.

"She looks so small," Goren whispered.

"Yeah, she does." He touched her cheek. "She just went into the ocean?"

"That's it. She took a nap and woke up sick. I-I have no idea what made her sick, Mike, and I have no idea what to do to help her."

"You can't fix everything, you know. She's in someone else's hands now."

"I-I don't like that."

"I know you don't. But you have to trust them. What choice do you have?"

Not for the first time, he felt cornered, trapped, and he didn't like that feeling at all. "I don't know if I can do this."

"Sure you can. You've never let her down; you won't start now."

Goren turned back to his daughter. Logan walked around to the other side of the bed and sat in the chair that was over there. He didn't know what else to do.

* * *

House looked up as his three team members came into the office. "Well?" 

Comparing stories, it was clear that every detail of Goren's account was exactly the same. "I don't think he's lying about what happened," Cameron said.

"Of course you don't," House replied. "You're gullible."

"We agree with her," Chase said.

"The man is sincere," Foreman agreed.

"And he's clearly distressed by what's happening to his daughter," Cameron added.

"Gullible," House repeated to her. "Any opinions about what made her sick, if Daddy didn't do it?"

"Something in the ocean made her sick. There's no other explanation," Chase insisted.

"She was fine before that," Cameron added. "It had to have been something in the water. A microorganism of some kind."

"None of you think her parents had anything to do with this?" He looked at each of them in turn as they shook their heads. "Then it's time for a real opinion."

Foreman frowned. "And what is a _real opinion_?" As if they didn't know...

"The only one that counts. Mine."

They watched him leave the room and turned back to the file, looking for something in her labwork or her medical history that would tell them what was wrong with the little girl. Every immunization was received on time, and her history was negative for significant illness or injury, aside from a dislocated shoulder she'd gotten eight months ago. Chase picked up the phone and dialed her pediatrician's office in New York. Cameron turned to the computer and began searching for any marine organisms that could cause such havoc with a child's system. There had to be an answer, and the three young doctors were determined to find it.

* * *

House stood outside Maggie's room, watching the two men who sat with her. They were big men, obviously distressed by what was going on with the small child on the bed between them. He stepped into the room, drawing their attention to him. His eyes shifted from one to the other. "Mr. Goren?" 

The bigger of the two nodded. "I'm Goren."

"I am Dr. House." His eyes shifted to the other man. "And you must be Mrs. Goren."

Logan frowned and looked at Goren. Then he looked back at House. "My name is Logan. Detective Mike Logan. I'm a family friend."

"How nice." He turned back to Goren. "So, Mr. Goren, when are you going to tell me exactly what happened to your daughter?"

Goren frowned and glared at the doctor. "What are you talking about?"

"According to my _Wunderkinder_, you gave three different accounts of what happened to Maggie."

Goren got to his feet. "That's a lie."

Logan silently stepped around behind House to stand near Goren. He was already stressed to his limit, and Logan knew it would take little provocation to tip the scales and send his friend over the edge. Something told him this doctor could be the one to do it.

House shook his head. "People lie. And it's hard to keep the story straight when you tell it more than once. 'Did I say this?' So you add or subtract or change details and that tells us you're not telling the truth."

Goren's eyes narrowed. "I'm a cop. I know what it means. And I didn't change my story."

House moved to stand by the bed. "Who hurt this child?"

Goren had been accused of many things in his life, but no one had ever accused him of harming his daughter. His voice was tight. "No one hurt my daughter."

"So why is she in a coma after doing something thousands of other people do every day without falling into comas?"

"I don't know," Goren answered, moving into House's personal space. "That's your job, to find out why so she'll get better and I can take her out of here and go home. I expect you to do your job, doctor."

"And this sparkling personality would be why there is no Mrs. Goren around?"

Logan's voice refocused Goren's attention away from the maverick doctor. "His wife stepped out to check on their son."

House dismissed the explanation without comment and leveled his gaze at Goren. "So, let's hear the truth, _detective_. What did you do to your daughter?"

Logan should have anticipated Goren's reaction, and he kicked himself for failing to see it before it happened. One moment, Goren was staring down the doctor, the only indication of his anger the scowl on his face and a slight tremor of his hand. The next moment, House was on the floor and Logan was grabbing Goren, wrestling him backwards, falling into the bedside tray table with a crash. Two nurses came running, stopping in the doorway as House struggled to his feet, grabbing his cane and holding his jaw. He waved off the nurses. "Just a misunderstanding. Everything's fine."

They looked with suspicion from House to the two detectives on the floor. Slowly, they left the room. House turned back to the two angry men, watching as they picked themselves up from the floor. "Not bad, detective. Okay, I believe you. Your stories were consistent."

They looked at each other in confusion and Logan said, "But you said..."

"I lied," House admitted without remorse.

Goren glared at the doctor. "You baited me."

"And you took the bait--hook, line and sinker. Though I admit I wasn't quite expecting to get punched," he said as he rubbed his jaw. "But your reaction was an honest one. I believe that you didn't hurt Maggie."

He turned toward the door. "Wait," Goren called after him. "Aren't you going to look at her?"

"What for?" He shifted his eyes toward the bed. "She's cute."

He turned and left the room before Goren could recover from that. He looked at Logan, confused. Logan shrugged. "That was...different."

Goren's jaw set and he offered no other reaction, other than the clenching and unclenching of his left hand.


	5. Collecting Information

After bathing the baby, Alex got him dressed and tried to relax for a little while before returning to the hospital. She did give Bobby a great deal of credit for one important thing: he was not put off by the hospital environment. As difficult as it was to see Maggie laying there, hooked up to machines to stay alive, that in and of itself did not seem to bother him as much as it did her. It wasn't that she thought he accepted what was happening; she knew better. It was killing him to see Maggie so sick. But she couldn't get past the tubes and wires; Bobby didn't seem to see them at all. Perhaps it came from a lifetime of dealing with hospitals and illnesses. She felt it was more than that. His devotion to Maggie was complete, and no matter what, he was always able to look at her and simply see 'Maggie'. Again she felt guilty for looking at her beloved little girl and seeing 'sick Maggie'.

She laid back on the bed and bounced Tommy on her stomach, losing herself in his happy laughter. Then the phone rang. "Hello? Yes, I am...oh, my God...he _didn't_...is he okay?... Thank you for calling. I'll be right there."

She was trembling with anger as she closed the phone and looked at her father. "Bobby met Dr. House, and he punched him."

John raised his eyebrows. "Why?"

"Does it matter, Dad? He punched Maggie's doctor! I am going to kill him! I told him to stay calm."

"Alex, Bobby isn't one to just fly off the handle. Something must have happened."

"He hit Maggie's doctor...the man who's job it is to save her." She shook her head. "When I'm done with him, he's going to need the bed next to hers."

She gently wrestled the baby into his jacket, set him on her hip and left the room. John had to hustle to keep up with her.

* * *

When Eames came into the room, followed by her father who now held Tommy, Logan snuck into a corner and remained quiet. He knew what was coming. Goren's little fireball of a wife was furious. To her credit, she kept her voice low, but it did nothing to mitigate the expression of her anger. "What the hell is wrong with you?" 

John carefully set Tom on the floor and urged him toward Goren. Happily, Tommy ran forward into his father's arms. "Dada!" he exclaimed and he wrapped his arms around Goren's neck.

Eames looked at her father. "You are not helping, Dad," she hissed.

He shrugged with a small smile and headed around to the other side of the bed, giving Logan a wink and moving to kiss Maggie. Logan grinned. John was a very smart man.

Eames turned back to Goren. "You _hit_ a doctor. Bobby..."

"In his defense..." Logan started.

"I don't want to hear from you, Logan."

He fell silent and shrugged when Goren glanced at him. Gently, Goren kissed Tom and set him on the floor. "Go see Uncle Mike."

Tommy hurried off. "Unna My!"

Logan picked him up and entertained him while Eames laid into the baby's father. "I can't believe you _hit_ a doctor."

"Uh, have you met the man, Alex?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Alot," Logan piped up, sinking back into the corner when Eames shot him a withering glare. She pointed a finger at him. "Stick up for him and deal with the consequences."

Goren drew her attention back to him. "Alex, h-he accused me of doing this to her."

She looked confused. Why would anyone accuse him, of all people, of hurting _any_ child, much less his own? Granted House didn't know him, but there was nothing to indicate any person had hurt their daughter. "He what? You have to be mistaken."

Goren raised his eyebrows. "You think I'm so upset I don't know when I'm being accused of something?"

"We told Dr. Chase what happened."

He nodded. "And I talked to two other doctors. I gave them all the same account. Dr. House said I gave them different stories, that I couldn't keep my story straight because I was lying. He said _I_ did this to her."

"I'm not understanding this. If you gave them all the same account, why would he say you didn't?"

He studied her with guarded eyes. "If?"

She waved a hand at him. "Calm down. I know you did. But why would the doctor say you didn't?"

"He baited me and I walked right into it. I...I didn't expect that, at all."

"And so you _hit_ him?" She looked at Logan. "And you _let_ him?"

"I'm not saying it was right," Logan explained carefully, not willing to draw her fire in his direction. "But I will say he deserved it."

She turned her attention back to Goren. "Whether he deserved it or not, you hit a _doctor_...and not just any doctor. You hit the doctor responsible for Maggie's care. Bobby..." She growled in frustration.

From behind her, a voice said, "You _must_ be Mrs. Goren." She turned to face House, who was leaning on his cane and studying her. "I can tell. Anyone else who talks to him that way gets hit."

She studied him in silence, taking in his scruffy appearance and the cane he leaned on. "Yes, I am. And you must be Dr. House." She saw the bruise beginning to purple the doctor's jaw. "I am very sorry that he hit you."

"Why? You didn't do it. But I did provoke him, and I am satisfied that he is not the one who hurt her. Where were you when Maggie got sick?"

She looked surprised. "Excuse me?"

House looked around. "I'm sorry. Did I not speak English? I thought I did..."

Goren was on his feet, stepping toward the doctor. He stopped when Eames' hand came to rest in the center of his chest. "There's no need to talk to her that way. I was the one who went into the water after Maggie and when we went back to the cabin, I took care of her and she fell asleep with me on the couch. So get your radar off my wife."

"Very protective...but I get the impression that, in spite of her size, your wife does not need protecting." He looked toward Logan. "Who's the little guy?"

"Our son," Goren answered.

"Did he eat the same meal Maggie did?"

"Yes."

"Who cooked it?"

Eames looked at her husband, puzzled. Then she answered, "We both did."

"How sweet. The meal consisted of?"

"Chicken, broccoli and mashed potatoes," Eames answered.

"The chicken was fully cooked, I assume?"

Goren frowned. "Of course it was. I'm very careful about meat."

"Was the broccoli fresh or frozen?"

Goren's brain hit the same track House's was on. "Fresh, but washed and steamed."

House made a face. "And she _likes_ broccoli?"

"Yes. So does the baby."

"What did they have to drink?"

"Milk. It was fine."

"Let me guess. You had milk, too."

"I always have what they do."

"No wine with dinner? Beer?"

"When I have dinner alone with my wife, yes. With the kids, no, not usually. Like I said, normally I drink what they are drinking. Maggie did not ingest anything at dinner that she shouldn't have. And Tom had the same meal."

House nodded. "And he's fine?"

Logan set the little boy on the floor. "Go see Daddy, tiger."

House watched him scurry around the bed, right to his father, giggling the entire way. Tom's arms went straight up into the air. "Uppy, Dada!"

Goren picked him up and sat on the edge of the bed. He met House's eyes. "Yes. He's fine."

"Did he go in the ocean, too?"

"No. But Maggie was playing 'storm' with him and dumping water over his head."

"He didn't ingest or inhale any water?"

Eames shook her head. "No. She warned him before she dumped it on him."

"You haven't noticed any lesions on his body?"

Eames was suddenly worried. "Lesions from what?"

"We don't know yet."

She shook her head. "He doesn't have anything. No bumps or bruises. Not a mark."

House looked back at Goren. "And you haven't suffered any ill effects?"

"Not from the ocean, no."

"Did you inhale or ingest any water?"

"No."

"Does Maggie know how to swim?"

"A little, yes. We've taught her to tread water and she knows how to float. But she learned that in a pool. She wasn't expecting the ocean to attack her."

"Attack her?"

Eames answered, "When Bobby brought her out of the ocean, she said the water tried to eat her."

"That's an interesting perception."

Logan spoke from the corner. "Maggie is an interesting child. I would never call her typical. She's a great deal like her father."

"So when she wakes up I should expect her to punch me?"

Logan smirked. "Only if you insult her daddy."

"I'll remember that." He watched the giggling toddler jumping on Goren's lap. "No one should be that happy."

Goren frowned at him. "Why not? He's a baby, and we'll try to keep him happy like this for as long as we can."

House grunted. "Good luck with that." He noticed John standing near the bed with Maggie's hand tucked in his. "And you would be?"

"I'm Maggie and Tom's grandfather. I take care of them while their parents work."

"Ah, working parents. Daddy is a cop. What does Mommy do?"

His eyes shifted to Eames. She didn't miss a beat. "I am _Daddy's_ partner."

He raised his eyebrows. "I thought there were rules against that."

Goren was losing his patience. "What does that have to do with Maggie getting better?"

"Not a thing. I just like gossip." Crossing the small room and stepping past his patient's parents, he studied Maggie more closely than he had before. "My bright and eager young colleagues seem to think that something in the ocean hurt Maggie. I need to know exactly where she went into the water. Dr. Chase loves field trips."

* * *

Chase studied the paper in his hand and looked at Foreman. "This is the cabin. He said it's about a hundred yards down the beach...that way." He pointed. "The hole they dug for the little boy should still be there. He said it was above the high tide mark." 

Foreman picked up the tackle box that held their sampling containers and implements while Chase carried the small cooler they would set the samples in once they had collected them. They headed off down the beach.

They had no trouble finding Tommy's hole. Foreman looked into it. "This thing's about two feet deep."

"Mrs. Goren said it was deep. They were having fun with it. It doesn't take much to entertain little kids."

"A hole and a bucket..."

"And an imagination, which they say Maggie has in spades. I can't wait to see her with House."

"That should be good," Foreman grinned, opening the box and pulling out several containers as Chase stripped down to a pair of shorts.

Taking several containers, he stuck them into a drawstring bag which he tied to his belt. "I'll get a sample from the waterline, and then a couple more further out. How far out did he say they went?"

"He said the water was chest-deep. On you that would be about here." He held his hand just under Chase's nose.

"Very funny."

Turning, he crossed the sand toward the breakers. After getting his waterline sample, he headed into the surf. Foreman began collecting samples from the beach.

When they were through on the beach, they went to the cabin. Using the key Goren had given them, they went from room to room, collecting samples in case the pathogen they sought was lurking somewhere in the building.

When they were through, they headed back for the hospital, hoping that something in the small cooler would shed some light on whatever it was that made Maggie so sick.


	6. I Have A Collection

Eames, Logan and John were heading from the main entrance of the hospital toward the sidewalk when Deakins pulled into the lot. He stopped and rolled the window down as Logan leaned over to talk to him. "Hey, Cap."

"How is she?"

"Holding her own. She's every bit as tough as her mother is."

"Do they know what happened?"

He shook his head. "Not yet." His eyes shifted to Barek, who was sitting in the passenger seat. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm not ready to strangle you at the moment."

"I'll take what I can get. We're going to get some lunch. Why don't you park and join us? We'll take you to see Maggie this afternoon."

"How's Bobby?" the captain asked.

Logan shook his head. "About how you'd guess. Worried as hell and wound to the breaking point."

Barek got out of the car and Deakins headed for an empty spot. Tom clapped his hands. "Aun' Car!"

Eames set him down and let him run to her. She lifted him and gave him a hug. "How's my little guy?"

He gave her a big smile, then pointed to the hospital building and his smile faded a little. "Maga seep."

"Yes, Maggie's asleep."

"An' Dada..." He almost pouted. "Dada sad."

She pulled him to her and hugged him. "I know Daddy's sad, baby."

She looked at Eames with moist eyes as Tom went to Logan, who got him to laugh again. Barek touched her friend's arm as Deakins approached and extended a hand to John. Softly, Barek said, "How are you doing, Alex?"

"I don't know what to do, Carolyn. I want to stay up there, but I can't leave Tommy like that. He's too young to understand, and it's bad enough that Bobby and Maggie aren't around for him. He's a little lost without his sister to chase around."

"Then let Bobby stay."

Her smile was sad. "I don't have much choice. He won't leave. But I'm glad he's there, so I _can_ spend time with Tommy. I need that, and so does the baby."

"You each have your own way to cope. He stays by her bed and you need to interact with the baby."

"But I feel guilty about not being in there."

"And I'm sure he feels guilty about not being with you and the baby. We know how good he is at bearing unnecessary guilt." They continued walking toward the sidewalk. "You go with your strengths, Alex. Both kids need you and they need him. I think you're both doing well in a very difficult circumstance."

Logan stepped up to them, Tom on his hip, and slid an arm around Barek, kissing the side of her head. "I think they're doing better than I would in the same situation."

Eames looked at him. "Would you have hit the doctor, Mike?"

"If he hadn't? I sure as hell would have."

Barek frowned. "Did I miss something?"

"Oh, yeah," Logan answered. "I think Tommy and I will go back here and join the guys. I don't need to hear this one again."

* * *

He finished reading another story and set aside the book one of the nurses had found for him so he would have more than the newspaper to read to her . He stretched, turning his head toward the door when he heard someone move. Barek stood there, alone. He just looked at her. She came into the room and approached him. "I can see how Maggie's doing. How are you doing?" 

He shook his head. "Not so great." He nodded his head toward her stomach. "Mike said you weren't feeling well."

She shrugged casually. "Morning sickness. It'll pass."

She leaned over and gave him a gentle kiss, resting her hand against his cheek. "Don't give up," she said softly. "She needs you to have faith in her. As long as you're here, she'll fight. Maggie is not going to leave her best guy."

He turned away, but not before she saw the tears that welled up in his eyes. Reaching out, she gently ran her hand over the back of his head. After a brief struggle with himself, he regained his control and looked at her, his eyes still moist. "Thank you, Carolyn. Uh, tell me something?"

"Sure."

"How is Alex?"

"About the same as you, but she won't let you see that. She's afraid that if she doesn't stay strong, she'll lose you, too."

"Lose me...?" He closed his eyes as realization dawned on him. "I...oh, God...I never mean to put that kind of pressure on her. If she needs me..."

"She's always needed you, Bobby. And you have always been there for her. Now...she doesn't want to let _you_ down."

"Let _me_ down?"

Barek was every bit as perceptive as he was, and she saw a powerful struggle in his eyes as he looked back and forth from her to Maggie, uncertain of what to do. This was not a choice she would let him make. "I'll make you a deal, Bobby."

His eyes settled on her. "What kind of deal?"

"You stay here with Maggie, and I'll send Alex up here to talk to you. In return, I'll have her bring you something to eat, and you eat it."

"That's bribery, Barek," he said softly.

"You bet your ass it is, Goren." She leaned over and gave him another kiss. "Deal?"

He smiled, and she saw the barest hint of it touch his eyes. "Okay. Deal."

She headed for the door. "Carolyn?" he softly called. She turned. "Thank you."

She nodded. "Just remember what I said. Don't lose your faith in that little girl. She's never lost her faith in you."

* * *

Alison Cameron sat back and rubbed her eyes, stretching her back. Microscope work could be so tedious, especially when there was nothing to find. It was late, well after nine, and she'd been at this since Chase and Foreman had returned from Belmar. She picked up a container labeled _Surf_, _three feet deep_. Chase had been thorough, and she couldn't blame him. They were all anxious to find out why Maggie was in a coma. 

Chase and Foreman had a new hero. They were still impressed that Maggie's dad had actually punched House, and they had no doubt their boss had deserved it. But whether he deserved it or not, she wasn't sure how she felt about it. It wasn't the first time someone had physically struck out at House's acerbic personality, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. They had all been at odds with him at one time or another. But there was a part of her that had never been able to dislike him, a part of her that understood him and why he pushed people away.

As she prepared her next slide, she thought about Maggie's father. Her heart had gone out to him from the very beginning. House called her a soft touch. But there was genuine, overpowering grief and helplessness in that big man. On morning rounds, she found him reading the paper to Maggie. He explained that it was important simply that she hear his voice, and he often read the morning paper with her when he didn't have to work, so it was part of their routine. When she'd stopped on her way back from lunch, he was reading from a collection of children's stories. She didn't intrude then; she'd just watched. While she was watching, he'd finished the story he was reading and set the book aside. Leaning forward, he'd rested his chin on one arm while he'd brushed the fingers of his other hand over her forehead. She couldn't make out what he had said, but the timbre of his voice was soft, gentle. And his interactions were so natural that she had no doubt this was the way he always was with her.

Slipping the slide onto the stage of the microscope, she brought the field into focus. Increasing the magnification, she looked again. _What the...this was different. _She wasn't sure what the microscopic, bean-shaped things were, but they hadn't been present in the other samples she had examined. They could simply be benign, free-swimming organisms, but she couldn't locate any mechanism of locomotion. She increased the magnification to maximum, but it didn't help her in figuring out what these things were. It could be nothing, but at this point, she was willing to check on everything. She turned off the lamp on the microscope and, in spite of the late hour, grabbed a directory from a shelf and made a phone call.

* * *

Goren sat silently, elbows resting on his knees, watching Maggie with tired eyes. He heard someone enter the room, but he didn't react. He heard something being placed on the bedside table and when her hand came to rest, gently, against the back of his head, he let his chin drop to his chest and he looked at the floor. Fingers lightly caressed the back of his neck and a soft kiss pressed into his temple. He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her into a hug, burying his face in her shirt and closing his eyes. He breathed in the scent that was as familiar to him as his own and simply held her. Her hands ran up and down along his back. He took an uneven breath; she sighed softly into his hair. "I brought you dinner. And Tommy picked out a jelly donut for you." 

"He loves his donuts," he muttered, snugging his arms more tightly around her waist.

She rested her cheek against the top of his head and continued to gently rub his back. "Have any of the doctors been in?"

He shook his head. She started to pull back to look at his face, but he tightened his arms and pressed his head more firmly into her chest. She let him be and folded her arms around him, letting another soft sigh ruffle his hair. She sifted her fingers through his hair, watching it fall in untidy whirls wherever the curve of his curls took it. "Alex?"

"What?"

"Do me a favor?"

"Of course."

"Stop being strong for me."

Her hands stopped and he could sense her confusion. "What do you mean?"

She could feel reluctance in every muscle as he finally relinquished his hold and leaned back, looking at her. "It's okay for you to be upset about this, baby. She's your daughter, and she's hurt. Don't bury what you feel because of me. I-I'm not made of glass. I won't shatter if you let yourself...feel the pain of this. I-I am so sorry. You know how intense I can be, how I can focus everything on a single thought... or a person. I never meant to put any additional pressure on you."

"What about you? You have enough to cope with..."

His fingers rested against her lips. "I'll worry more if you keep trying to be strong. I need to...to comfort you right now. I need you to let it go."

He studied her face, and she saw the sincerity in his. He knew the exact moment she let her strength slip away, and he pulled her into his arms as she cried.

* * *

She stayed with him and Maggie until late. Logan told her that Tommy had looked for his father when he got tired, then he went from lap to lap until he finally decided to settle in with him, and he went right to sleep. Although pleased with his chosen surrogacy, it made Logan sad that the little guy missed his father. He knew well the children's bedtime routine, and it always involved going to sleep on Bobby's lap, unless work kept him away.

It was just past midnight when Eames decided to head back to the motel. She kissed Maggie's still-hot forehead then stepped into Goren's arms. She held him tight as she rested her head over his heart, comforted by the steady beating. "I'll see you in the morning," she muttered into his shirt, sighing softly when he kissed her head.

"Give Tom a kiss for me."

She nodded, turning her face up toward his for a kiss. He pulled her up against him, letting the kiss linger. It was a connection they both needed.

The clearing of a throat drew them apart and they looked toward the doorway. "Forgive me for interrupting," House said in a tone that said he wasn't really sorry; he just didn't care.

Goren frowned at him. "It's late. Have you found out anything?"

"Not yet. I've ordered another dose of solumedrol since she improved a little after the last one. I'm also giving her an IV dose of hydroxyzine, an antihistamine. It won't hurt her and it could help her. But there are two procedures I would like permission to do, neither of which is terribly invasive."

"What procedures?"

Eames was not surprised by the tension she felt rise in him. She laid her hand on his hip, and he eased a little. House moved closer to them. "An endoscopy and a bronchoscopy. Basically, we'll go through her mouth with a small camera to take a look and see what's bugging her. I need biopsies of her stomach, small intestine and lungs."

Goren didn't react to what he perceived to be a bad pun. "Why?"

"I have a collection. I'm always looking to add to it."

The tension returned and Eames pressed into him more firmly, now warning him to stay calm. He let out an exasperated sigh. "What are you looking for, doctor?"

"I don't expect a cop to understand."

"Don't," Eames muttered, anticipating Goren's reaction. She glared at House. "If you don't think we'll understand, then it's your job to make sure we do."

She saw the surprise on the doctor's face, though it quickly faded. "_Physalia_ _physalis_," he answered.

"In English, Dr. House. Not Greek."

"Actually, that was Latin, Alex," Goren answered.

Eames rolled her eyes and House looked surprised. She moved her hand around to Goren's back and told House, "You get used to it."

Goren glanced at her then looked at House. "What does a Portuguese Man'o'war have to do with my daughter?"

"Very good, detective. A closet marine biologist?"

He allowed himself a small, amused smile. "No. Just an insatiable curiosity. I got stung once when I was in Korea."

"Has Maggie ever been stung?"

"No."

"Not by anything? Bee, wasp, or jellyfish? An anemone maybe?"

He shook his head. "No. She knows not to antagonize bees. We don't spend much time near the ocean and I don't let her play in the tanks at the Aquarium."

House let his amusement flash across his face. "Has she ever been in a different ocean, the Pacific or the Gulf?"

"No."

"You are not making this easy for me."

"Heaven forbid we make you do your damn job."

"Bobby..." Eames warned, giving him a gentle smack. He rested a hand in the small of her back, letting his fingers absently caress her. He was agitated, but if he started pacing, it might unsettle House and he didn't want the doctor to feel threatened. Not that he cared much about that, given the doctor's attitude, but he didn't want to upset his wife again.

House's eyes narrowed at the jibe, but he chose not to respond to it, as Goren had ignored his 'bugging' pun. They seemed to be reaching an unspoken understanding of one another. "We found remnants of cnidarian nematocysts in the samples Dr. Chase collected from the ocean where Maggie went under. It's unlikely any would remain in her stomach, but we might find some in her lungs."

"Would you find evidence that she was stung in her stomach or lung tissue?"

House was impressed that he got no argument from the detective; he had expected one. And the man's questions, unlike many he got from patients, were intelligent; this man was definitely not a moron, which he found oddly refreshing. "Yes."

"Would that have caused this?"

"It could have. We can look for antibodies to the venom's proteins in her blood once we know what we're looking for."

"How likely is it that this is what happened?"

"Don't ask me; I'm just a doctor. It gives us something to do, and if we're right, it makes us look good."

Now Eames gave House a warning. "This is not a game or a joke, Dr. House. This is deadly serious and if you don't start acting like it is, you're going to get punched again, only it won't be Bobby doing the punching."

Goren looked at his wife in surprise, then he shifted his eyes to House. "I'd listen to her, if I were you. You really don't want to see her angry, especially if you're the one she's angry at."

Pale blue eyes shifted from one detective to the other. "It's always the little ones that pack the biggest bang."

Goren couldn't help but softly laugh at the truth in that statement, and Eames felt a rush of gratitude toward House for that small chuckle.

"What about my biopsies?"

Goren looked at his wife, who met his eyes and nodded. He looked back toward House. "Do the procedures."

"They'll be in to get her in about an hour. The nurse will have a consent for you to sign." He studied Goren for a long moment. "It'll take them about an hour, maybe as long as two. I want them to be thorough. She'll be in good hands. Go get a shower; get out of this room for a little while. Go and see your son. Babies are at their best when they're sleeping anyway. I'll have Dr. Cameron go with Maggie; she hasn't gone home yet. And I'll put a rush on the biopsies." He grinned at that thought. "I love pissing off the pathologists--keeps them on their toes." His pale eyes shifted to Eames and his manner seemed to soften for half a moment. "We'll take care of your daughter; you take care of your husband." He nodded his head toward Maggie and his attitude returned. "I don't want to incur her wrath for letting any harm come to her daddy. I hear that's the wrong thing to do."

He turned and left the room. Goren looked at Eames. "I think I like that doctor."

"He reminds me of you."

"He does?"

She kissed him. "Yes. He's unconventional."

He gave her a small smile. "Funny, he reminds me of you, too."

"Oh? How's that?"

"He's a wise-ass."

She laughed and smacked him. He eased himself wearily into the chair and she sat lightly on his leg, sliding her arm across his shoulders as he snugged his around her waist. She sighed. "So how did she get stung by a jellyfish if there were no jellyfish around?"

"Each jellyfish is actually a colony of animals. After they die, the structure of the animals disintegrates fairly quickly, but their stinging cells remain intact, and able to sting, after the animals themselves are long gone. Somehow the nematocysts have remained in the surf, and they're still able to do harm."

She looked at Maggie. "Do you think this is it?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, Alex."

She rested her head against his. "If it is, will she be all right?"

"I hope so."

"People die from these stings, don't they?"

"Yes."

He tightened his arm around her waist, letting his gaze stray past her to fall on Maggie. She still looked small and fragile, but now they seemed to be onto something. He hoped it wasn't a dead end.


	7. On the Path to Answers

Logan looked up from the movie he'd found on television when the door opened. His eyes widened in surprise when Goren came in after Eames. He looked back at her. "I don't see a gun. How'd you get him out of there?"

Eames smiled. "Doctor's orders. Where's Dad?"

"He and Deakins went out for coffee. They're bonding, and that scares me. Carolyn already went to our room to go to bed; she was exhausted."

Goren leaned over and gently lifted Tom from Logan's chest, holding the little boy close. He closed his eyes when Tom sighed in his sleep. Eames smiled and gently ran her hand along his back. His children always had a way of settling him, no matter how troubled he was. She leaned over and kissed the baby. Logan stretched. "Seriously, Bobby, why are you here? Is Maggie all right?"

"They took her for a procedure and Dr. House thought it would be a good time for me to come to see the baby-while he was sleeping."

"Ah, for a minute there that wasn't sounding like House. Is she okay?"

"As okay as she's been. They found Portuguese Man'o'war stinging cells free in the surf. That may be what made Maggie sick."

"That's weird. Can they figure out if that was it?"

"I hope so."

"Can they fix it if it was?"

"I don't know. The only treatment for a man'o'war sting is to treat the symptoms. It's a nasty venom. They'll do what they can, but it's going to be up to Maggie to recover...if that's what's making her sick."

"Did you get this sick?" Eames asked.

He shook his head as she took Tommy from him. "It hurt like hell, but no, I didn't get sick. Not like she is. I felt like crap for a few days, but that was about it."

"When'd you get stung?" Logan asked.

"In Korea."

Goren moved about the room, getting ready for his shower. "It may answer one thing that's had me wondering."

"What's that?" Eames asked as she sat down with her son.

"I can't figure out why she went into shock. If she's allergic to the man'o'war venom, it would explain a lot."

Logan shook his head in amazement. "Sometimes it's a good thing that you think so much."

Goren gave him a small smile before he went into the bathroom and closed the door. Logan looked at Eames. "He seems better."

"They're doing something. That makes him feel better. They could be closing in on answers, and he wants those answers desperately. I just want Maggie to get better. Bobby wants that, too, but he also needs to know why."

"Yeah...he always wants to know why, even if it doesn't matter."

"It matters to him."

"It always does."

When Goren came out of the bathroom, he was met by a squeal and a little body slammed into his legs. "Dada!"

He lifted Tom into his arms. "What are you doing up, you little stinker?"

Tommy giggled and hugged him. He kissed the little boy's soft head and looked at Logan suspiciously. Logan raised his hands. "Don't look at me. I didn't wake him up."

The baby sat back in Goren's arms and looked around the room. "Maga?"

"No, Tom. Maggie's not here."

The little boy's mouth formed a pout. "Maga." He put his head down on his father's shoulder and sighed softly. "Maga pay."

"Soon Maggie will play with you." He rubbed the baby's back. "Go back to sleep, little man. You can visit her tomorrow."

Another sigh and he settled in, nestling against Goren's chest. When he was sleeping, Goren gently laid him in the bed near the window. Eames smiled at him. "How did you know that's the bed we sleep in?"

"You like to be near the window."

He pulled her into his arms and held her close. "There's no reason for you to come back up right now. They won't know anything until tomorrow anyway."

She nodded. "But you'll call if anything changes."

"Of course I will. Good or bad."

Her arms tightened around him and he rested his head on hers. Logan approached them and rested on hand on each of their shoulders. "I'm going to bed. Call me if you need me."

Eames leaned over and kissed him. "Thank you, Mike."

"Anything for you, sweetheart."

He slapped his hand against Goren's shoulder. "See you tomorrow. Kiss my girl for me."

"I will. Thanks, Mike."

He left the room. Goren turned back to his wife and gently kissed her forehead. "Remember," he whispered. "Don't be afraid to show me how you feel. Trust me when I say I need to see that."

"How I feel," she whispered. She leaned up and kissed him, slowly deepening the kiss so there was no doubt exactly how she felt. Her fingers slipped under his shirt to stroke his skin and he pulled her tight against him. _Lifesaver..._

Reluctantly, he ended the kiss. "I-I'd better go," he said unevenly, his voice barely a whisper. "I want to be there when she gets back." He kissed her again, then stepped away and headed for the door.

"Bobby?" He turned with his hand on the doorknob. "Thank you. Kiss her good night for me and tell her I love her."

He nodded. "I will, Alex."

"Don't forget: I love you."

This time his smile did touch his eyes. No, that was something he would never forget. He thanked God for her love every day. "I love you, too, baby."

He left the room and headed back to his daughter's bedside.

* * *

He was pacing the far side of the small room when they brought her back. He watched with guarded eyes as they reattached her to the respirator, hooked up her leads and secured the IV pump to its pole. Then the room emptied, except for him, Maggie and Cameron. He met her eyes and she smiled. "She did well." 

"What did they see?"

She sighed softly. "A lot of inflammation."

"Can you explain her fever now?"

"There were pockets of localized infection in her lungs. We're going to add another antibiotic until we get the sensitivities back this afternoon."

"Infection from what?"

A sympathetic look crossed her face. "I don't know. Maybe once we know what's causing the infection we'll have a better idea where it came from."

"What about the nematocysts? Did you see any evidence of them?"

She nodded. "We suctioned the fluid from her lungs and the pathologist will have a look at it. If there were any there, we should have gotten them."

"Her stomach?"

"None of them would survive for long in the acids of the stomach."

"But did you see any evidence she was stung?"

"There were lesions in both areas, but we have to wait for pathology before we know what they are."

He walked around the bed and leaned against it, looking at Maggie for a long minute. "Is she going to be all right?"

"I don't know. We need to figure out just what's making her sick. It may be a combination of things. I promise you, as soon as we know something, we'll tell you."

He took his eyes from the little girl and held Cameron's gaze. "I'll trust you in that, Dr. Cameron. I need to know what you know, what you think. Whether it's good or bad, I need to know."

She nodded. "I'll tell you. Try to get some rest. Good night."

"Good night."

He moved to the head of the bed and gently fingered Maggie's hair, and his hand caressed her cheek. "I'll be right back, mouse."

He kissed her forehead and went out to the nurse's station to call Eames. He told her what Cameron had told him, assured her Maggie was no worse, and told her he loved her. When he went back to sit by Maggie's bed, he was struck again by how still she was. Since the day she was born, he'd never known her to be so still, not even when she slept in his arms. He read to her for a little while, then he slept fitfully in the chair, holding her hand, taunted by dreams of the restless sea.

* * *

He jerked awake, not certain what had pulled him from sleep, but grateful that something had. He ran his hand through his hair, surprised to find it wet with sweat. He didn't quite remember what he'd dreamed of, but it couldn't have been good...not with the sweat and his racing pulse. Leaning back in the chair, he decided he didn't want to remember. It was a struggle to calm the pounding of his heart. 

A movement near the door caught his attention and he looked over to find House standing there, leaning on his cane. "Do you always sleep so well?"

"Do you always watch people sleep?"

"Call it a hobby."

"You have too many hobbies, Dr. House."

House limped over to the foot of the bed. "Keeps me out of trouble."

"Somehow I doubt that."

The doctor looked amused. "You owe me, detective."

"Make my daughter better. Then we'll discuss it. Right now count yourself lucky you haven't gotten hit again."

He gave him a sardonic grin. "I got two pathologists out of bed at three o'clock to read Maggie's biopsies. I won't have the final confirmation until later in the day, but I have the preliminary findings. Let me say: Wow. No wonder this kid is sick."

"That tells me nothing. What did they find?"

"First you tell me what Dr. Cameron told you."

"She told me just what she told you she did."

House raised his eyebrows. "How do you know she told me anything?"

"Because she's very thorough and when she was done talking to me, she came to you and told you the same thing. You know what she told me."

House leaned back against the bed and studied him. After that first day, when he had struck a deep chord by accusing this man of harming his daughter and gotten punched for it, he found himself surprised at every turn by him. His intensity, intelligence, devotion, even his sensitivity, which usually just turned his stomach, impressed him; everything about him was unpredictable. "Very well, then...you know we found a lot of inflammation."

He nodded. "And areas of localized infection in her lungs."

"Right. We added vancomycin to her medication cocktail. It's a powerful, broad-spectrum antibiotic. When we get the sensitivities back, we hope to drop her down to just one effective antibiotic."

Goren nodded. "What about the nematocysts?"

"There were quite a few of them in the fluid they got from her lungs. Luckily, most of them were not discharged. But for her size, Maggie still absorbed a lot of toxin. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot we can do but wait. They drew some more blood to check on her kidneys and they seem to be recovering. Her liver seems all right, too. So far, she's still stable. That's a good sign."

"Why did she go into shock?"

"Apparently, she's allergic to the venom. When she went into shock a couple of things happened. First, her entire system began to shut down, including her immune system. The bacteria in her lungs has probably been there for a few days, but her immune system was able to keep it under control and it would have eventually eliminated it entirely. That's its job. Did she have any cold symptoms or has she been around anyone who is sick?"

"No, she hasn't been sick at all. Her cousin was sick last week, but Maggie and Tom haven't shown any symptoms."

"Sick how?"

"I thought it was a cold. My wife would know more."

"Hmm. It's funny how different people react to the same pathogen." He paused. "I mean funny weird, not funny ha-ha."

"I figured that."

"One more thing before I go. If you hadn't brought her in to the emergency room when you did, she would have died."

Goren sat back in the chair, rested his forehead on a hand and closed his eyes. He did not want to consider how close he had come to losing his little girl. The thought of it was almost more than he could take.

House watched him for a moment, oddly finding himself wanting to say something to him, but he wasn't good at that kind of stuff. He would leave that to Cameron; it was much more up her alley. In silence, he left the small room.


	8. Doctor Sensitivity

Alison Cameron rolled over and slid out from under the blanket. She had found an empty sleep room and managed to sneak in three hours of restless sleep. She wasn't able to stay sleeping. Every time she dozed off, her mind would land on some aspect or other of Maggie Goren's illness and she would waken, only to find her thoughts leading nowhere. She changed into clean scrubs and was surprised to find House at his desk, twirling his cane. He stopped the spinning stick and looked out the window. "Sun's not fully up yet. Why are you?"

"I was thinking about Maggie."

"Maggie or her daddy?"

She gave him an annoyed glare. "Has anything come back yet?"

"Not yet, but go talk to him. He seemed upset."

"What did you do?"

"Now why do you automatically assume I did something?"

"What did you do, House?"

"I actually tried to pay him a compliment."

She stared at him for a moment. House didn't pay _anyone_ compliments. "What did you tell him?"

"I said if he hadn't brought the little girl in when he did she would be dead."

"Tell me you didn't."

"What? I was being nice."

"Maybe you shouldn't do that anymore."

"But it _is_ a good thing he brought her in."

Cameron sighed. "He didn't need to hear he almost lost his daughter."

"He's not a moron. He _knows_ he almost lost her. He even knows there's still a good chance he will."

"But he didn't need to _hear_ it. Oh, forget it. Go back to insulting the man, will you?"

House watched her leave the office. He had meant what he'd said in a good way. They had done the right thing by bringing Maggie right in. A lot of parents would have waited and then it would have been too late. He tried to think of a way he could have said it better, but nothing came to mind.

* * *

She stopped at the nurses' station and reviewed Maggie's chart. Still nothing. She perused the last set of vitals and lab results. Her liver and kidney functions were mostly back to normal, and she breathed a sigh of relief at that. Her organs had recovered from the anaphylaxis and were no longer in shut down. Maybe now her liver would fully kick in and start processing the toxins out of her system so the rest of her small body could recover. Fever was still 103, heartrate 150...but a note from the respiratory therapist said she was taking more breaths on her own. Her own respiratory rate had doubled over the course of the night. That was good. It was all very encouraging...but the little girl still showed no signs of wakening, and that troubled her. 

She replaced the chart and walked to the child's room. This time she did not linger in the doorway. He turned to look at her when she came into the room. He looked exhausted. She sighed softly. "I have to apologize for Dr. House, Mr. Goren. He really is a brilliant doctor, but as a people person, well... Simply put, he just sucks at relating to others."

Goren gave her a soft smile. "He didn't do anything wrong, Dr. Cameron."

"Maybe not, but he was insensitive."

"I don't think he meant to be. He was just pointing out the obvious, not telling me anything I didn't already know."

This father displayed much more understanding toward House than her boss deserved from him. "He thought you were upset."

He raised his eyebrows in a weary gesture. "That's been a chronic state since she got sick."

"Have you slept at all?"

"Some. I'm fine."

"You look tired."

He waved her off. "Really, Dr. Cameron. I'm fine. I just...I want her to wake up and be okay. _I_ want to wake up from this nightmare, but it's not a nightmare, is it?."

"I'm afraid not," she said softly. She hesitated. "You're very close to your daughter."

He nodded, swallowing hard as he looked toward the bed. "I have always been close to her. Tom is Mommy's boy, and Maggie has been my girl since the day she was born." He sighed, a sad, weary sound. "Do you have any better idea about her prognosis?"

She moved closer and rested her hand on his shoulder. She wished there was some degree of solace she could offer him. "I wish I could tell you she'll be okay, but I don't know what's going to happen. There are some encouraging signs." Her hand tightened on his shoulder. "Her liver and kidneys are almost back to normal and she's breathing more on her own. She's improving, and we need to focus on that."

"But she's still very sick." He offered it as a statement, not seeking confirmation. He knew how sick she was.

Cameron nodded. "I'm sorry. The minute I know more, I'll be in here to tell you."

He nodded, touching her arm in a gesture that assured her he didn't blame her for not having the answers he needed. She gave him a smile she hoped looked encouraging. From the direction of the doorway, a throat cleared. "Umm, I'm telling." Cameron rolled her eyes and turned to look at him as he said, "Be careful, Cameron. I hear his wife packs quite a wallop."

"Dr. Cameron is safe from my wife," Goren said quietly. "You're the only one in danger, Dr. House."

A smirk played at the doctor's mouth as he approached the bed. He studied Maggie for a few minutes. "It's not often I stay in the hospital like this, detective."

Cameron looked at Goren and confirmed his statement with a nod. As Cameron moved away, Goren stood up and rested a gentle hand against Maggie's head. "Why are you here now?"

"I thought you might be lonely. I see I was wrong."

Goren neither moved nor reacted; he waited patiently for the real answer. Cameron smiled. She liked the way this big, quiet man handled her boss. Foreman and Chase were hoping for another round of boxing, but she didn't see that coming. Not from him. House smirked. "No? You don't buy that?"

"Not for a second."

He shrugged. "Once again, I have been annoying pathologists. If first year med students can identify organisms over the course of a three-hour lab, they should be able to get me identifications before sunrise. Guess what? I was right."

"So you know what's in her lungs?"

"What: yes. Why: no. Has Maggie been in any hospitals lately?"

"No."

"Any health care facility?"

A light went on in Goren's tired brain. "Carmel Ridge. She was at Carmel Ridge."

"Which is?"

"A psychiatric facility outside the city. My mother lives there."

House looked interested. "Really?"

"My mother's illness is not relevant to Maggie's condition, but to prevent you from bribing me for information, she suffers from paranoid schizophrenia."

"Ooh, that's serious stuff."

"I know."

"When was the last time Maggie visited your mother?"

"We went to see her last week."

House became thoughtful, running calculations through his head. "That may fit. Maggie picked up two different pathogens from somewhere. One she could have gotten from a sick person in the grocery store. The other, she probably picked up at Carmel Ridge." He set his cane against the bed and leaned back against the siderail. "The first organism would have made her sick anyway, though probably not this sick. She would have fought it off easily if she's as healthy as you and her pediatrician say. The other is a nasty little bug. Her immune system could have kept it in check and eradicated it without symptoms. It happens all the time. That's why all the worst bugs come out in immune-compromised individuals. When she went into shock, her immune system kicked into overdrive and her immune response to the bacteria accelerated. The fever would likely have appeared in the next 24 hours anyway. As the shock progressed, though, and her systems began to fail, the bacteria were able to take hold."

"Why did she stop breathing?"

"That was the shock and the toxins from the man'o'war stinging cells."

"And what's keeping her sick?"

"The toxins and the infection in her lungs."

"The antibiotics?"

"Effective, but there hasn't been enough time for them to really kick in. What they have done is stop her from getting sicker by preventing the little beasties from crossing over into her blood. That likely would have killed her. It takes 24-48 hours to start seeing improvement from the antibiotics, and I expect her fever to break soon."

Keeping his hand resting against Maggie's head, Goren rested his hip against the bed and studied the floor as his brain processed that information. Finally, he looked at the doctor. "So what does this mean?"

"Well, the pneumonia, we can treat. And she's no longer in shock."

"But..."

"Yeah, there's always a 'but,' isn't there? Irritating."

"Dr. House..." This time his tone held a warning.

"I don't know, detective. She could go either way. She is sensitive to the toxin and she absorbed a lot of it. So we continue to give her the medicine we know has been effective, and we wait. We'll know in 24 hours, one way or the other."

"Meaning...?"

"Meaning she's either going to be better or she's going to be dead. I have no way to predict which it will be. And that's the best I can do." He waved a hand at Cameron. "You can do your thing now. I'm done doing mine."

He grabbed his cane and headed for the door. "Oh, one more thing," he said as he turned. "She is breathing more on her own. We may be able to extubate her tonight if she continues to improve in that regard. It's a good sign, but it doesn't get her out of the woods. Not yet."

He turned and left. Cameron shook her head. "Like I said, he's definitely not a people person."

Goren sat heavily. _She's going to be better or she's going to be dead._ He didn't feel Cameron's hand on his shoulder, and the pounding in his head shut out her voice. All he saw was Maggie. So this was it. Twenty-four hours. Either...or. In one day, either everything would be okay, or nothing would ever be okay again.


	9. Reaching Through the Pain

When Eames came striding into the intensive care unit, Cameron was waiting for her at the nurses' station. "What's wrong?" she said without preamble. She had not liked the tone of the doctor's voice when she'd called and asked her to come right over. She liked it even less when Cameron tried to reassure her by saying it wasn't about Maggie.

"My boss, I'm afraid."

"Bobby didn't hit him again, did he?"

"No, but I wish he would have. House gave him the naked truth, and I don't think he was ready for it...not the way it was presented to him."

"What did he tell him?"

Unlike her boss, Cameron chose her words carefully. "We're down to the wire, Mrs. Goren. We found out what's causing Maggie's fever and her pneumonia. She'll respond to the treatment for that. What has her at risk is the man'o'war toxin. She's very sensitive to it, and it could still kill her. We can't do anything more for her. Now it's up to her."

"Let me guess...that's not how House put it."

"How'd you know?"

Eames sighed. "Exactly how did he put it?"

"He told your husband that in 24 hours Maggie will either be improving or she'll be dead."

Eames closed her eyes, torn between her desire to go to her husband and her desire to give House a fistful of what-for. Her concern for Bobby won out over her anger. "Thank you, Dr. Cameron."

"I was concerned. He just...shut down."

Eames nodded. "That's what he does when he doesn't know what else to do, when pain gets the better of him."

"Let me know if I can help."

She nodded and headed for Maggie's room. Standing in the doorway, she watched him. "Bobby?"

He didn't react. That was a bad sign. Crossing to him, she stopped and sifted her fingers through his hair. "Hey, Goren, talk to me."

Slowly, he turned his eyes toward her. "And what do I say?"

"There's a right way and a wrong way to do things. House chose the wrong way."

He shrugged. "I'd rather he not sugar-coat things."

"I don't think he's capable of sugaring anything more than his coffee."

No smile. He just turned his eyes back to the still child in the bed. He sighed, a soft, uneven sound. "What am I..."

He stopped, and she saw a tear trail its way down his cheek. She gently slid a hand along the back of his head and he let her pull him close, burying his face in her chest and, finally, wrapping his arms around her. His arms tightened, holding her like a vice. She stroked his hair and kissed his head. There was nothing else she could do for him.

* * *

Logan was sitting on the bed, playing a game of toss the baby, and Barek was watching with apprehension. "If you ever play this game with our kid, I'll kill you." 

"What? I've been playing it with Maggie since she was about a year old. I haven't dropped a kid yet."

"And what would happen if you did?"

"My life wouldn't be worth the chemicals it's made of."

"Exactly."

"Chill out, sweetheart. Listen to him giggle."

"Mike, he giggles if you walk across the room."

Logan laughed. "Yeah, he does, doesn't he?"

Across the room, Deakins and John were playing cards. "You'd better not drop him, Logan. I'll let John borrow my gun," the captain said with a smile.

With a sigh, Logan pulled the baby to his chest and kissed him. "Looks like we'll just have to play that game when we're alone, buddy."

Tommy reached out and patted his face. "Hungy, Unna My."

He looked at the time. "Well, look at that, it is breakfast time. I..."

The phone on the table beside him rang, cutting off his sentence. He lifted it from its receiver. "Logan."

_You can just say hello, Mike. I think I can figure out it's you._

"Oh, yeah. Habit. What's going on?"

_I'm going to go and give House a piece of my mind._

"Give him a big piece. You can spare it. What'd he do?"

_He's just an insensitive ass._

"We knew that, Alex. Exactly what did he do this time?"

_He told Bobby point blank that if Maggie isn't better in 24 hours, she'll be dead._

Logan was quiet for a minute. "Please, _please_, let me hit him. I want a turn."

_Maybe next time. It's my turn. Look, will you bring Tommy up after breakfast? _

"Yeah, sure. How is Bobby?"

_Don't ask. Just bring the baby up. I'll see you in a little while._

"Right. Just remember...like it or not, that ass is Maggie's doctor."

_I won't hurt him...bad. Bye, Mike._

"Bye." He set the phone in its cradle. "Well, let's go feed this little monkey. Daddy needs some Tommy time."

"What happened?" John asked.

"I'll tell you on the way down to the diner."

* * *

The door to the office swung open and Eames stormed in. Foreman and Chase looked at each other, each bearing an expression of apprehension, wondering just what House had done now. Cameron did not look surprised to see Maggie's mother, and neither did House. "Detective, what a pleasure." 

"Do not patronize me," she growled.

House glanced over at his nervous colleagues. "Little person, big bang. Watch."

Eames leaned on the desk and very slowly said, "How dare you."

"Let's be more specific, shall we? I dare to do a lot of things."

"How could you tell him that?"

"He wants the truth, doesn't he?"

She took a deep breath and prayed for patience. "Yes, but there are better ways to put it out there, doctor."

"Didn't Cameron fix it?"

Eames didn't understand the seemingly honest perplexity on House's face. She took another deep breath. "You don't know my husband."

"Keep breathing like that and you'll hyperventilate."

"If I don't breathe like this," she said tightly. "I'll rip your head off."

"Oh. Then feel free to breathe however you need to. Look, things are they way they are. Your husband seems to understand that. I didn't tell him anything that wasn't true. What's crueler: telling him what's going on and pulling no punches, or giving him false hope? He doesn't seem the 'false hope' kinda guy to me. So I opted for the brutal truth."

"Next time, let one of them tell him."

House studied her. "Did he send you to yell at me?"

"Of course not. He doesn't think you did anything wrong."

"Then why do you?"

"Because you did. You went about it wrong, and now he's withdrawn so far I'm having a hard time reaching him. Do it again, Dr. House, and I just may shoot you."

"That also would not be the first time."

"Why does that not surprise me?"

She turned and left the office. House looked over at the three young doctors when he heard a stifled laugh. Chase said, "I like those parents."

"She's spunky," House admitted. But that was as close as he would come to agreeing with Chase. Truth be told, he liked them, too. They were a nice contrast, and it was refreshing to deal with people who were not idiots. "Back to the books, kiddies. If there is anything we can do to help that little girl, I want to find it. Remember, Portuguese has two 'u's."

* * *

Eames sat on the foot of the bed, leafing through the storybook Bobby had been reading to Maggie. He sat quietly in the chair, watching Maggie and making Eames nervous. She would rather he be agitated and pacing. She couldn't take this quiet; she was worried. 

She looked up at a noise in the hallway and saw Logan set Tommy down on the floor. Tommy came into the room and looked from his mother to his father. He smiled at her, but his eyes returned to his father. He toddled across the room and reached up to touch Bobby's arm. "Dada?"

Goren seemed to come out of a trance, turning his eyes to his little son, surprised to see him. "Hey, tiger."

The little boy's face lit up into a happy smile. "Uppy, pees."

A smile touched his mouth as he lifted the baby into his lap. Tom lay on his chest, wrapping his arms around his neck. "Yubu, Dada."

Goren sighed softly. "I love you, too, Tommy."

Tom stayed there for several long moments, an eternity to a toddler. Then he sat back and looked at his sister. "Maga?"

Stirring from the chair, Goren stood and set Tommy on the bed. "Watch the tubes, buddy," he said.

Tom carefully navigated the tubes and wires until he was in range of his sister's head. Then he touched her cheek. "Maga! Guppy!" He looked at his father, puzzled. "Maga no gup, Dada."

"No, she can't get up, Tom."

"Wanna pay."

"I know you do."

Tommy couldn't understand why Maggie wouldn't wake up. She always woke up for him, just like Daddy did. Carefully, he pulled himself up on the siderail and jumped at Goren, who easily caught him. "Dada, pay ball?"

"Not in here. Uncle Mike or Grandpa will have to play ball with you."

He thought about it, and reluctantly muttered, "'Kay, Dada."

Logan leaned toward Eames. "I've never seen that kid so serious."

She nodded. "He knows something isn't right and he doesn't like it."

"Join the club, slugger," he said to the baby. Shifting his gaze between Eames and Goren, he said, "He wanted to bring Maggie a donut. Made Carolyn cry. I can't wait until this baby's born. I can't take all the uncertainty. Last week, I fixed her dinner and you'd have thought I crossed the English Channel in my boxers for her. I just...I want her back. This is a very 'iffy' game and I don't like it."

"Another reason this baby will be an only child, huh, Mike?" Eames asked.

"Think about how she's feeling," Goren muttered absently as he watched Tommy play with the buttons on his shirt.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm trying. But it's hard to be sympathetic when you're in a headlock for leaving the seat up."

"Then don't leave the seat up," Eames said reasonably.

Goren shrugged. "It's that easy."

"Yeah, easy to say." He huffed. "I gotta go practice spending quality time with the baby. At least now that she's showing I don't feel so weird talking to her stomach. See you guys later. Take care of Daddy, Tom."

Tommy smiled at him, then hugged his father. Logan laughed quietly. "Good boy."

Eames watched Goren with the little boy, grateful once more for Tommy's happy innocence, for the smiles he could coax out of his father when he least wanted to smile, for being able to reach him so easily when he was trying to retreat from a pain he couldn't bear. Most of all, she was grateful to her little son for helping his father set aside that pain, at least for a little while.


	10. Feeling Bad

When Cameron came into the room after supper, she was not surprised to find him alone and awake, a mostly untouched tray of food sitting on the table. "Not hungry?"

He looked at her, shaking his head. "No."

She was relieved to see that he wasn't withdrawing as much as he had that morning. When she had done her afternoon rounds, it was nice to see him playing with his son and smiling at his wife, even if it was a haunted smile. She was actually glad it was her turn to be on call now. She considered Maggie _her_ patient, whether House thought so or not. Her boss had gone home at six, leaving her to determine if Maggie was ready to be extubated, with the proviso that she call him first. Remote control medicine and she was the robot.

But that was all right with her. She hadn't left the hospital since the morning they had taken Maggie on as a patient. House teased her—at least she thought he was teasing—about Maggie's father, and she would go so far as admitting the man touched something inside her. House got a kick out of trying to get a rise from her, but she refused to take his bait this time.

"I have encouraging news."

Goren noticed she avoided calling it good news. "What's that?"

"The machine is no longer breathing for Maggie, so we can extubate her. I already talked to House."

He was quiet for a moment. "So what does it mean?"

"It means her lungs are improving."

"Does it mean she's clearing the toxin?"

"It could."

"But we have to wait for morning to be certain. If she's alive come sunrise, she'll probably recover."

She nodded slowly. "I wish I could tell you more. All I can say is that any improvement is a good sign. Let's get this tube out."

"You're sure she's ready?"

She nodded. "If she's not, we'll just put the tube back in and wait until tomorrow to try again."

He watched silently, holding Maggie's hand, as Cameron pulled the tube from her throat. Then she listened carefully to Maggie's lungs for a long time. Finally, she straightened away from the bed. "She sounds good."

Opening a package of green tubing, she slipped a small cannula under Maggie's nose and plugged it into the oxygen outlet in the wall. She turned the dial to half a liter and watched the monitor over the bed. The bottom number settled at 96 and Cameron nodded, satisfied. "This is good, Mr. Goren. It's very good." She hesitated. "I'll stay here by Maggie if you want to call your wife."

He smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

She watched him leave the room. With a sigh, she turned back to Maggie.

Goren placed the call and told Eames about the extubation. She seemed relieved. _That's good, isn't it?_

"It's good, Alex."

_Then why don't you sound more relieved. She's improving._

"I know. I'm just...tired. That's all."

_Then try to rest. Dad and I will come up first thing in the morning._

"Okay, baby. Good night."

He hung up the phone, thanked the nurse and headed back to Maggie's room. After saying good night to Cameron, he sat down and leaned forward, settling his head on his arm near Maggie. He was utterly exhausted and couldn't stay awake. The only benefit to the bone-weary exhaustion he felt was that his sleep was dreamless, and his body and mind could regenerate.

* * *

The room was dark, except for a nightlight over the bed. A _green_ nightlight. Nightlights weren't supposed to be green. This wasn't her room. Her nightlight was white. And why was this thing in her nose? She pushed it off her face and moved a little, realizing there was a hand resting gently on her stomach. She rolled onto her side under the comforting touch of the hand that guarded her and watched her father sleep, with his head resting on his arm near her pillow. She moved closer, gently kissed his forehead, then rested her head against his. She didn't feel good, but she felt better than she had a little while ago, after her nap. Her tummy was still sore and her chest still hurt. She was wet with sweat and her head hurt, and she felt cold and hot at the same time. She didn't like not being in her own bed, and she didn't understand why she wasn't there, but Daddy was with her, so it had to be okay. She felt uncomfortable and unsettled, so she sought comfort from him and nestled her hand into his hair. Maybe when he woke up, he'd hold her and she'd feel better. Yeah, that was what she'd do. She'd wait until Daddy woke up so he could make her feel better. With a contented sigh, feeling safe under his hand, she closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

* * *

Marcy looked at the beeping monitor and frowned. Maggie had just been extubated and now her sats were dropping. She set down her pen, concerned, and hurried to the little girl's room. She smiled to see her breathing easily, curled on her side and snuggled as close as she could get to her father. Walking around to the other side of the bed, she gently moved the oxygen cannula back to its place under her nose without waking either of them. She listened to Maggie's lungs and, satisfied, returned to her desk.

* * *

He stirred at the sound because it was different. It wasn't the usual background noise he'd come to recognize. Thinking maybe it was the absence of a sound, namely the respirator, that got his attention, he tried to slip back into the depths of sleep. Then he heard it again, and he recognized it. Pulling himself to wakefulness, he gradually became aware of his surroundings. His arm rested on the smooth sheet, a pillow for his head, which throbbed a slow beat to match his heart, the familiar result of stress and lack of sleep. But there was something else...a gentle pressure against his forehead...and a little hand, nestled into his hair. And the noise he'd heard. She coughed.

He turned his head and moved to rest his chin on his forearm. Softly, he kissed her nose. She stirred, opening her eyes to look at him. "Hi, Daddy." Her voice was hoarse.

"Hi, mouse," he whispered, swallowing the lump in his throat.

She reached out and gently rubbed her hand over his cheek. "I don' feel good."

He gently stroked her hair and kissed her. "I know you don't." He ran his finger along the side of her face. "I missed you, baby," he whispered, trying not to choke on his emotions.

She looked confused. "Did I go someplace?"

He nodded, swallowing hard, his eyes moist. "Someplace far away."

"I don' 'member goin' anywhere. Where did I go?" She looked around her, then back at him. "Am I inna hopsital?"

He nodded, smoothing his hand over her sweat-dampened hair. "Do you remember when I was in the hospital and Uncle Mike told you my brain was sleeping?"

"An' I was your medicine. You holded my hand and waked up."

"Right, baby. Now, it was your brain that was sleeping."

She just blinked, not sure she understood what he meant, since she didn't remember her brain sleeping. "Did the water make me sick?"

"No, but something in the water did." He kissed her again. "Let me go and call Mommy so she can come up here to see you. I'll be right back."

"Then can I sit in your lap?"

He nodded. She coughed again and rolled over to settle back into her pillow. He left the room and walked to the nurses' station. Marcy looked up from her work. "Is something wrong?"

"Call Dr. Cameron. Tell her Maggie's awake. And, may I use the phone?"

She smiled and set the phone on the counter for him to use. Then she moved off to use another phone to call Cameron.

He dialed and waited while the phone rang. He closed his eyes at the sound of her sleep-muffled voice. _Hello_.

He couldn't speak for a moment. _Hello_, she repeated. _Bobby?_

"It's me," he confirmed, his voice hoarse with emotion.

_What's wrong?_

He struggled with himself. "N-nothing. I, uh, you need to come up here."

_Why? What happened?_

"Sh-she's awake, Alex."

_I'll be right up._

He set the phone in its cradle, waved thank you to Marcy, who was still on the phone, and went back to his daughter. She was half asleep when he stopped to stand beside the bed. "I don' like these straws in me, Daddy."

He smoothed his hand over her hair. "I don't blame you. When the doctor comes in, tell her that."

She coughed again and held her arms out to him. He carefully arranged her tubes and wires so nothing would get pulled. Then she sat up and he lifted her into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed. "I feel bad," she whispered.

She snuggled into his chest with her head against his shoulder and nestled her hand into his hair. Her little body shuddered and she sighed softly, then coughed. Her hand tightened into a loose fist and she snaked her other arm around his neck. He rubbed her back and gently kissed her neck. "Don' leave me," she whispered with a yawn.

"Not a chance."

He was gently soothing her by pacing back and forth, three steps in each direction, which was all the tubing would allow, when Cameron arrived a few minutes later. She smiled at the sight of the little girl snuggled in his arms. He gave her a tired smile. "She said she feels bad."

She took out her stethoscope and placed it on Maggie's back, listening to her heart and lungs. Goren looked toward the door when Eames appeared, out of breath. "Did you run?" he asked with a soft smile.

She came into the room and stepped up to his side, placing one hand on his waist and the other on the side of Maggie's head. Maggie opened her eyes and smiled sleepily at her. "Hi, Mommy."

"Hi, baby," she said, barely able to manage a whisper.

Maggie reached out and wiped a tear from her mother's cheek. "I feel bad, Mommy."

"I know you do."

"Maggie?" She looked around. That was a voice she didn't know. Cameron smiled gently when the little girl spotted her. "I'm Dr. Cameron. Can you tell me how you feel bad?"

"I jus' feel yucky. My throat is scratchy an' my tummy hurts, an' so does my chest an' my head. But you can take these straws outta me."

Cameron smiled at the sweet child. "You still need some of them, sweetheart."

"Take off the others. Please."

Cameron met Goren's eyes, then looked at Eames. "If you want to lay her down for a minute, I can remove the Foley from her bladder. Her urine output is normal again and now that she's awake, she won't need it." She turned to Maggie. "Okay, Maggie? Let Daddy lay you down for a minute."

She hesitated, then nodded. Cameron lowered the bedrail. Eames walked around to the other side of the bed and leaned over to bring her head down close to Maggie's. Goren held her hand after leaning over to kiss his wife. Maggie squeezed his hand and reached up to hug her mother's head. She cried softly as Cameron removed the catheter. Once it was out, she scrambled back into Goren's arms, holding tight to his neck, snuffling and coughing into his shoulder.

Cameron gave her back a gentle pat. Then she stepped away and said, "I'll call Dr. House, to let him know what's going on. He'll probably be in first thing in the morning."

Goren looked at her. "Is she going to be all right now?"

Cameron nodded. "I think she's going to be fine."

"Thank you."

Another smile for him and she left the room. This was a part of her job that she loved the most. At the thought of waking House at this hour, her smile broadened. _An added benefit_, she thought. Tonight, she didn't care if he fussed about being woken because everything was okay. She wanted him to know this child was awake, and she really did not care if he wanted to know it or not.


	11. Count Your Blessings

House pushed open his office door just after seven the next morning. Cameron looked up from where she was looking into a microscope. "Good morning, Dr. House."

"It would be a better morning if I hadn't gotten called in the middle of the night to let me know everything is fine."

Cameron smiled as she turned back to her microscope. "You said to keep you apprised of her condition. I was just following your orders. Her condition changed and I let you know."

House frowned at her. "How is she this morning?"

"She says she feels bad, and I don't doubt she does. But everything is looking better. X-rays show the infiltrates in her lungs are clearing and her dad has gotten her to eat some broth and some jello and drink a little apple juice. Right now all she wants to do is sit in his lap and let him hold her, so that's what she's doing."

"How nice. I guess I'll drop by and see for myself how Daddy's little girl is doing."

"She's very sweet."

"Just what I need first thing in the morning: saccharin."

Cameron didn't even try to hide her smile. That was exactly what he needed.

* * *

He stood in the doorway after reviewing her chart at the nurses' station, watching in silence. Maggie was in her father's lap, curled against his body. He had one arm around her and held a book in his other hand. His voice was soft as he read to her. Her dark eyes watched the page as he read. When he finished a page, she reached out and turned to the next page, then snuggled against him again. He kissed her head and continued reading.

Clearing his throat, House came into the room. Goren lowered the book and Maggie studied him intently. Goren set the book down as House stopped near the end of the bed. Quietly, he told his daughter, "Maggie, this is Dr. House."

She sat up, holding onto her father's hand. "Hello," she said, her voice still hoarse from the ET tube.

"Hello, Maggie. Dr. Cameron told me you're still feeling badly."

She nodded. "My chest and my tummy hurt and my throat is scratchy." She tilted her head to the right and asked, "Why do you have a stick?"

"It's for beating patients who don't do what I tell them."

Her eyes widened and her hand tightened on her father's. Goren frowned darkly at the doctor as Maggie said, "That's not very nice."

"I'm not very nice."

"Dr. Cameron telled me you're grumpy. Is that why you have a stick?"

"Grumpy? Hm...that's not why I have this stick."

She slid from her father's lap and he let her. She had not recovered her endless store of energy, but she had some of it. She walked over to the doctor and studied his cane. "You're hurt," she said quietly as she reached out and touched the hand that gripped the cane.

Goren leaned forward and propped his elbows on his knees, watching his little girl with the doctor. He kept silent. House glanced at him, then back at Maggie. "Why do you say that?"

"You walk funny, and your hand is tight onna stick." She turned her face up toward his. "It hurts. You hurted your leg?"

House nodded. "A long time ago."

"It's not getting better?"

"No. It's not."

"But you still help peoples and make them better. That's good. Why did you tell me you're not nice?"

"Because I'm not."

"You're grumpy because you hurt, but that doesn' make you mean. Grumpy's not mean."

He looked down at her hand, still resting on his. "So what did your daddy tell you about me?"

"He telled me you been helpin' me get better, so I can go home and play with my baby."

"Your baby?"

"His name is Tommy. Mommy and Daddy gotted him for me when I was three."

House couldn't keep a smile from his face as he looked at Goren. "That was very nice of you and her mommy, detective."

"He makes her happy."

Maggie grinned. "Tommy makes eve'ybody happy."

Goren laughed softly. "Yes, he does."

Maggie gently rubbed House's hand. Then she leaned up and kissed his fingers before turning and heading back to her father. He leaned back and lifted her into his lap, carefully arranging her IV line and montior leads. She snuggled against his chest and sighed. House asked, "Why did you do that, Maggie?"

"A kiss al'ays makes it better."

House met Goren's eyes. "I wish that were always the case," he said quietly and Goren nodded. The doctor moved closer and looked at the little girl. "May I listen to your chest?"

She nodded and turned slightly so he could slide his stethoscope against her chest. She studied his face as he listened. Then she reached her hand forward and lightly touched his scruffy cheek. He turned his eyes toward her and she smiled. He smiled back at her, then he looked at her father. "Her lungs sound better." His pale eyes shifted back to the little girl, whose hand was still resting on his cheek. He raised his hand to touch hers, and she turned it to grasp his fingers. There was no fear in this child. "Cough for me, Maggie."

She moved her free hand to cover her mouth. Her parents always told her to cover her mouth when she coughed or sneezed. He listened to her lungs as she coughed and he nodded. "Very good. There's lots of junk in there, but it's moving when you cough. The more you cough, the quicker you'll get all that stuff out."

"It tastes yucky."

"I know. You can spit it out if you don't want to swallow it."

She wrinkled her nose. "That's gross."

House laughed and looked at Goren, who just smiled and gently ran a hand over his daughter's hair. He still looked tired, but his eyes were no longer haunted. He actually looked a lot better. "Dr. House?" He looked back at Maggie, who continued to cough every few minutes. "How did that stuff get in my lungs?"

She was smart, too. A lot of adults wouldn't ask that. House leaned back against the bed and rested his cane beside him. "You have a bug in your lungs."

She looked puzzled. "Like skeetos?"

He tried to suppress another smile. This child was going to destroy his reputation. "No, not quite. They're much smaller...so small you can't see them without a special piece of equipment."

Goren pressed his cheek against her head. "They're called bacteria, and you need a microscope to see them."

"Like what Dr. Rodgers showed me?"

"Just like that." He looked at House. "The last time I took her to work with me, she got to look at some slides with a microscope in the medical examiner's office."

Maggie was frowning. "I got bac...what is it, Daddy?"

"Bacteria."

"Bacteria...I got them in my lungs?"

House nodded. "Yes. They are what are making you sick. But we're giving you medicine in your IV to make you better."

"Antibiotics," Goren muttered to her.

"Like Tommy had for his ear?"

"Yes, only a different kind. Yours isn't pink."

"I like pink."

He laughed softly. "It's not the color that makes you better, mouse."

House was enjoying the interaction between father and daughter. This father respected his child. There was no condescension in his manner at all. And she understood his explanations. He had been explaining things to her all her life. He wondered if there were any questions of hers that had ever gone unanswered. "Daddy's right. The medicine we give you is the right kind to make you better."

"Were those bugs inna water?"

"No. That was something different, but that also made you very sick because you were allergic to it."

"'Lergic? Like Uncle Mike and fresh air?"

Goren laughed again. "Not quite, baby. Fresh air really won't make Uncle Mike sick. It's more like your cousin Kerri and peanuts."

Her dark eyes got big. "Really? That's bad." She looked at House. "Kerri can' have peanut butter and jelly. She eated a peanut once and hadda stay inna hopsital for a whole week. She was all puffy and she couldn' breathe."

House nodded. "It's just like that, only your cousin's allergy is a lot more serious than yours. You are allergic to a jellyfish venom, and it's not something you'll run into every day."

"Jellyfish? Is that where they get jelly?"

Goren and House both laughed. From the doorway, a voice asked, "What's so funny?"

Maggie's face lit up. "Hi, Mommy! Where's Tommy?"

"Grandpa is taking him to eat breakfast. Then he'll bring him up to visit."

"Dr. House says I'm 'lergic to jelly."

"Jellyfish, Maggie," House corrected. "And, no, that's not where jelly comes from. You can still eat jelly."

"Good, cause I like jelly." She was quite for a moment. "Can I still go inna ocean?"

"If you're careful. Mommy and Daddy have to check to make sure it's safe for you. If there have been any jellyfish in the area, then it probably wouldn't be a good idea for you to go in the water."

"But I still can, if it's safe, right?"

"Yes."

She nodded. "I like-a water when it doesn' try eatin' me."

Goren rested his cheek against her head and kissed her temple. House pushed himself away from the bed. His interactions with Maggie had him feeling off balance. He needed to get back to his office, where he could interact properly with people. "Dr. Cameron will probably stop by before she goes home. I'll be back later. You rest, Maggie. And try to get Daddy to rest, too. He looks tired."

Maggie smiled. "Okay, Dr. House."

Eames motioned to Goren that she would be right back and she followed House out of the room. "Is she going to be all right, Dr. House?"

"Don't tell me they didn't call you in the middle of the night."

"Of course they did. I was here. Where were you?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "I don't come in when everything is fine, Mrs. Goren."

"I don't remember you being here when everything was wrong, either."

"Your daughter's care was handled just right. There were no mistakes and now she's going to be fine. What's the problem?"

"The problem is you were not around."

"I delegate, Mrs. Goren. Believe me, I was updated on every aspect of Maggie's condition. Dr. Cameron has not left the hospital since the morning your daughter was admitted. I trust my team."

She studied House through angry, narrowed eyes. "You have no idea how lucky you are that she's going to be all right. If we'd lost her, it would have killed my husband, and I do not mean that figuratively. Count your blessings, Dr. House."

She turned to leave and House said, "I would be happy with my blessings if I had any like yours."

She stopped and turned, but House was already walking away, leaning heavily on his cane.


	12. Improving

Maggie turned her bright eyes toward her father. "Where did Mommy go?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe I'd better go and see."

"She had her mad face on, Daddy."

"I saw that. Can you sit here for a minute while I run and check on Mommy?"

She nodded. "Can I sit in your chair with a pillow and a blanket?"

"Sure. I'll be right back."

He stood up, holding her in his arms, and grabbed a pillow off the bed. Setting it on the chair, he set her down on it, setting a second pillow behind her and covering her with a blanket.

She snuggled into the pillows and watched him leave the room. She frowned. She never liked it when her father was nervous. That wasn't a good thing. She looked around the room and saw his jacket hanging on another chair. Sliding from the chair, she went over and stuffed her hand into his pocket. She pulled out his phone and went back to her chair. Once she was settled back in the chair, she opened the phone and pushed a button. A list of names came on the screen. She couldn't read a lot of words yet, but she did recognize some names that Daddy taught her. A-l-e-x was Mommy. J-o-h-n was Grandpa. Here was the name she was looking for. M-i-k-e was Uncle Mike. She moved the dark bar to his name and pushed the green button.

_Hey, what's up?_ came Logan's voice over the phone.

"Hi, Uncle Mike."

There was a moment of stunned silence. _Maggie? Where's Daddy, honey?_

"Mommy looks mad and Daddy went to see who she's mad at."

He was confused. _Who's there with you?_

"Nobody right now. I want to see my baby. Is he with you?"

_Uh, yeah...yeah, Tommy's right here eating breakfast. We'll bring him up in a little while. He's in the middle of a donut right now. Are you okay, baby?_

"I still feel yucky."

_How is Daddy?_

"Comfor'bler than-a bed. I don' feel so yucky when he holds me."

He understood that. _That's not quite what I meant. Is he okay?_

"Yes, but he was worried about Mommy."

_Because Mommy was mad?_

"An' she lef' when Dr. House did."

Uh-oh. He knew she was angry at House, and he wondered if Goren knew, too. Well, by now he did, he was certain. _Okay, Maggie, honey. We're going to be up there to see you in a few minutes. Close the phone, baby._

"Okay, Uncle Mike."

She closed the phone and snuggled back into the pillows. She was tired and she closed her eyes for a few minutes...

* * *

Goren saw his wife standing near the nurses' station, staring off after the retreating doctor. "Alex?"

She turned to look at him. "What are you doing out here?"

"That's what I was wondering. What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. I just needed to give him a piece of my mind."

She wouldn't look at him, so he leaned over to catch her eyes. She hated when he did that when she was trying to avoid him. Leaning in close like he did always compelled her to look at him, and once she met those dark eyes, there was no escaping them. She sighed. "He's an arrogant bastard and he's taking the credit for another doctor's work."

"They're a team, Alex. Just like you and me. Does it matter who did the work? Deakins gets the credit for our success. Why does it matter? Maggie's going to be all right. Isn't that what counts?"

"He couldn't be bothered to show up when she was so sick, but now that she's getting better, here he is."

"He _did_ show up. I punched him, remember?"

"You should have hit him harder."

He laughed. "Make up your mind." He touched her chin, gently stroking her cheek with his thumb. "It's enough that she's going to be okay, Alex. I don't give a damn how she got there, and neither should you. In a few days we should be able to take her home, and that's what matters. Everything else is incidental. I am very grateful to Dr. Cameron; she did everything right. And Dr. House did his part, too. It doesn't matter that he wasn't the one listening to her with a stethoscope every few hours. He pushed to get the lab results in time to save her. _That's_ what counts."

"You're too damn sympathetic."

"Maggie is going to be okay. That's the bottom line."

She sighed. He was right. "I'm still mad at him."

"Whatever makes you feel better." He leaned closer and she turned her face toward his, accepting his kiss and letting him linger as long as he wanted. It was good to have him back.

"Hey, hey, hey—get a room, guys."

Goren turned to look at Logan. "I thought you were getting breakfast."

"We were until I got a call telling me that Mommy was mad and Daddy was worried. What the hell was I supposed to think?"

"A call...what?"

"Apparently, Miss Maggie found your phone and she's smart enough to figure out how to call me, which is great. But if she calls me at three in the morning because she's bored, I swear I'm gonna pound you."

Goren still looked confused. "She called you?"

Logan tossed his phone at his friend. "See for yourself."

Goren flipped the phone open and studied the recent calls list. He laughed. "That little bugger."

He handed the phone to Eames and headed toward Maggie's room. Eames shook her head. "Where's the baby?"

"Carolyn is cleaning him up. I wanted to make sure everything is okay up here."

"Yeah, fine."

"Who pissed you off?"

"The doctor."

"Did he do something wrong?"

"Nothing to hurt Maggie, no. I just didn't appreciate his attitude."

"Hmph. Go figure."

Goren was standing above Maggie when they came into the room. His hands were on his hips and he was shaking his head. Leaning down, he slipped his phone from her hand and held it up. "Sorry, Mike. She got it out of my jacket pocket."

"She's a smart one."

Eames laughed. "We always knew that. She's her father's daughter."

Logan leaned against the bed. "I know that spells trouble for the rest of us, but I wouldn't have her any other way. I'm really gonna be in trouble if my kid has his mother's smarts. My ego isn't gonna fare well at all when two of 'em can outsmart me...three if Tom's half as smart as his sister."

"Ya know, Mike..."

"Shut up, Bobby."

Maggie stirred and opened her eyes. She coughed a couple of times and made a face. "Yuck..." she commented. "Daddy?"

"Right here, baby."

She held out her arms and he picked her up. "Is Mommy better?"

He nodded his head toward the end of the bed. "She's right there."

Maggie studied her and nodded. "You made Mommy feel better." Then she noticed Logan. "Uncle Mike! You comed right away!"

"I told you I would." He smiled. "You look great, baby."

She smiled and looked around. "Where's my baby?"

"Aunt Carolyn is washing the jelly out of his hair. They'll be here in a little while. Hey, that was pretty smart of you, calling me on Daddy's phone."

"Daddy telled me how to find Mommy and Grandpa and you on his phone."

Logan kept the grin on his face. "Gee, Daddy, thanks a lot."

"Any time, Uncle Mike. You're not immune, you know."

Logan snorted. "That's a proven fact."

Goren looked toward the door and smiled. Logan and Eames turned to see Cameron in the doorway. She looked tired, but pleased. "I just wanted to stop by before I went home to say hello. Maggie is going to go up to the pediatric ward this afternoon and if she keeps getting better, she'll be going home in a few days." She smiled at the little girl, who had rested her head against her father's chest and was watching her with tired eyes. "Do you feel any better, Maggie?"

She nodded. "A little bit. When will these bugs be outta my lungs?"

"It's going to take a while, but as long as you take your medicine, they won't cause you any more trouble."

Goren sat down and she snuggled into him, closing her eyes. He looked at Cameron. "When will she be back to normal?"

"Soon. Kids bounce back quickly. They don't know enough to prolong their illnesses. They want to get back to running and playing as soon as they can. I reviewed her last labs, and they look better. The toxin is working its way out of her system." She sighed. "I'm going home for a few hours. If you need anything, call Dr. House's office."

"So he can call you in?" Eames asked.

Cameron smiled. "He won't. I'll be back this evening."

She left the room. Goren shifted Maggie to a more comfortable position. Eames crossed over to his side. "Bobby, why don't you go to the motel and get some good sleep? I'll stay here with Maggie."

"But..."

She lightly ran her fingers across the back of his neck. "No buts. She's going to sleep and you should, too." She slipped the key into his hand. "Go. If she really wants you, I'll call. I think she'll be fine with you leaving for a couple of hours."

He hesitated another moment, until Eames picked Maggie up and repeated, "Go. Please."

He sighed softly. "Just for a little while."

"That's all I'm asking."

"Okay, fine."

He got to his feet and leaned over to kiss Maggie. Then he kissed his wife. Her hand reached up to caress his cheek and he let the kiss linger. She watched him leave the room and smiled at Logan. "I expected more of an argument."

"I think he knew better. And he's beat."

"I know he is."

"Uh, Alex? How intent are you on sitting here for a few hours?"

"What do you mean?"

He stepped to her side and gently caressed Maggie's hair. "I mean, if you want to sit here and hold her, that's great. But I'm willing to do that for you for a little while if you want to...you know, make sure he's all right."

She studied Logan's face. He was sincere. Shifting her gaze to Maggie's face, she was satisfied that her little girl was sleeping peacefully. She knew Maggie wouldn't object to waking to find Logan there. He leaned over and kissed her temple, gently taking Maggie from her. "Go on."

She stood up and kissed him. "I love you, Mike."

"Yeah, I know."

He eased himself into the chair and got Maggie settled in his arms. Then he picked up the newspaper.

* * *

Goren met Barek and Tommy in the hall. The baby squealed. "Dada!"

He caught him in mid-charge. "Hey, tiger." He kissed his neck. "How's my boy?"

"Maga?"

"Yes, you can go up to see Maggie." He looked at Barek. "She's sleeping right now."

"Okay. We'll go to the park first. What are you doing here?"

"I was sent to get some sleep."

"Good idea. You look about ready to collapse."

"Where's John?"

"He and Deakins went down the street to the store."

"Do I want to know why?"

"I think they're in search of a get well balloon or something."

"Figures."

"Go and get some sleep, Bobby, before you do collapse. Maggie's doing better?"

He nodded, knowing she knew full well that she was or he wouldn't be there. "Thank you, Carolyn."

She smiled and leaned up to kiss his cheek. "Come on, Tom. Let's go play on the swings for a little while before we go to visit your partner in crime."

Tommy went to her readily. "'Wings, Dada!"

"Have fun, buddy."

He went into the room and took a quick shower. Then he pulled the curtains tight and laid down on the bed near the window, turning onto his side. He relaxed as he caught his wife's familiar scent on her pillow. With his mind focused on her, it wasn't long before he drifted off.

* * *

She stopped at the desk and got an extra key. Then she headed to the room. Slipping into the dark room, she closed the door quietly and listened. She could hear him breathing, and she knew he was asleep. She'd have caught him still awake if she hadn't run into Barek and Tommy on their way out of the building. Unable to pass up the chance to play with Tommy for a little while, she'd spent fifteen minutes chasing him up and down the slide before leaving him in Carolyn's care on the swing.

She hesitated for a moment, reluctant to wake him. Finally, she decided she'd simply lay down with him and get some good sleep herself. She crossed the room and silently stripped, pulling on one of his t-shirts. Sliding gently into the bed behind him, she shifted up close to him and slipped her hand into his shirt, lightly caressing his skin. He groaned in his sleep and she pressed her body into his back. She sighed softly and hugged him, continuing to gently rub her fingers along his side. He was used to that and often slept better because of it. She had just started to doze off when he turned over. With another soft groan, he slid his hand into her hair and kissed her. She pressed herself into him and let his tongue search her mouth. Pulling back a little, he whispered, "Who's with Maggie?"

"Mike."

"And the baby's at the playground with Carolyn..."

She nuzzled his neck and lightly nipped at his ear. "Um-hmm."

He needed no further encouragement. Forty-five minutes later, his exhaustion complete, he fell asleep. She watched him sleep in the dim light, caressing his face and his chest with her fingertips before she snuggled deeply into his arms and also slept.


	13. A Quiet Afternoon

**A/N: Chutes and Ladders is by Milton Bradley.**

* * *

"Unna My!" 

Logan looked up from the paper in time to drop it and catch the little boy who ran to him. He lifted him into his lap beside Maggie. "Hey, slugger." He smiled at Barek. "I see you got all the donut out of his hair."

"The donut was no problem. The jelly was a challenge."

"Good practice," he smiled. "And yes, I've had my fair share of practice," he added before she could say anything. "Spaghetti is my specialty."

Tommy patted Logan's chest to get his attention. "Unna My..."

"What is it, buddy?"

He reached out and gently touched his sister's cheek. "Maga seep," he whispered.

Logan nodded and whispered back, "Just for a little while, bud. She'll be up soon."

"Maga gup?"

"Yes. Soon." He kissed the baby's head. "What did you and Aunt Carolyn do after your bath?"

His face lit up. "'Wings!"

"Wings?"

He looked at Barek for clarification. She smiled. "We went down to the playground."

"Ah, you went on the swings."

Excited, Tom forgot about being quiet and bounced on his lap, babbling and laughing. Logan laughed with him, looking at Barek when the baby was done with his narrative. "Were Bobby and Alex with you?"

"We ran into Bobby in the hallway on his way to the room, and then Alex came with us for a little while before she went to check on him."

"Okay, then...the general gist I got was that he saw Daddy, then Mommy chased him and he played on the slide with a donut?"

Barek laughed. "Almost. We saw Bobby, Alex chased him around the slide and he _wanted_ a donut."

"Oh, okay."

She gently ran her hand over his hair. "That was good, Mike. You have a real connection to these kids."

"Because I understand Tommyspeak?"

"Because you care enough to listen to him and learn Tommyspeak...just like you did when Maggie was little."

"Maggiespeak was a little easier."

"Every kid is different. You understand Tommy just fine. I've seen a change in you since Maggie and Tom were born, and they aren't even yours." She hesitated and ran a hand over her stomach. "Mike, if you love this baby as much as you love these two, I'll be happy."

He leaned over and gave her stomach a kiss. "I will. That much I think I can be sure of."

She placed a finger under his chin and tipped his face up so she could kiss him. He wasn't perfect, but he put his heart into this part of his life and she loved him for it. In his lap, Tommy started bouncing and squealing. "Maga! Maga!"

They looked toward the little girl in his lap. Maggie had opened her eyes and now she smiled broadly at her little brother. "Tommy!"

Tommy dove into his sister's arms, hugging her tight and squealing her name. Maggie giggled. "My baby missed me!"

"I see that."

She looked around. "Where is Daddy?"

"He went to get some sleep. He'll be back soon."

She nodded. "He should sleep inna bed. That chair is comf'able for me, but Daddy's bigger than me. Is Mommy takin' care-a him?"

"Yes."

"Good. Mommy takes good care-a him."

"Yes, she does. And he needs some takin' care of right now."

Barek picked Tommy up and Logan got to his feet. They set both kids on the bed. After settling herself against her pillows, Maggie got Tommy nestled in beside her and asked, "Can we play a game?"

"Okay...like what?"

She pointed to the corner of the room. "Onna table there. My nurses bringed games for me an' Daddy to play. Let's play the ladder game."

He pulled out _Chutes_ _and_ _Ladders_ while Barek cleared off the tray table and moved it into position. After setting up the game, they began to play. When Tommy's turn came around turn, Maggie always moved his piece around the board for him, and then he picked it up and chewed on it. When his turn came again, she took the piece from him and moved it the right number of spaces before he grabbed it again and chewed on it some more. "You're not 'posed to eat it, Tommy," she giggled.

"Donut!"

"It don' gots a hole or jelly in it, silly. It's not a donut."

"Wanna donut!"

She giggled again and hugged him. Logan smiled at Barek. Everything was looking up. Maggie was going to be all right.

* * *

Logan was once again struck by how much Maggie reminded him of her father. She was studying the cards in her hand with the same intensity he did. Now granted, he never played Go Fish with Goren, but he wasn't about to risk the wrath of Alex by teaching Maggie to play poker. He was happy to let her father have that one. Tommy was sleeping on the bed beside his sister, worn out from the playground and the excitement of having his sister awake again. Barek sat in the chair beside the bed, watching them. She had opted out of the card game. "Do you gots a five?" 

He handed her a five and looked at the back of his cards. "Are you sure you can't see through these?"

She giggled. "No, silly." She set down a pair of fives. "You gots a seven?"

"Go fish!" he replied, poking her in the belly.

She giggled again and picked up a card from the deck. She looked toward the door when someone came into the room. "Grandpa!"

Beside her, Tommy's eyes popped open. "Gapa!" he yelled as he sat up, sending Maggie's cards flying.

Logan laughed and gathered the cards as John came into the room, followed by Deakins. "You bringed me Uncle Jimmy! Thank you!" she said happily.

It warmed Deakins' heart to be considered a gift worth a happy thank you. John hugged her and set a large bear on the bed beside her. He smiled at Barek. "We decided a teddy bear was better."

She nodded. "Good choice, but it took you all afternoon to find a teddy bear?"

"We had to find one we liked. That took time."

Deakins laid a large cement mixer in front of Tom. ""Ruck!" the baby announced excitedly.

Maggie reached over and spun the mixer for him. "Look, Tommy. It spins."

"'Pinnin' 'ruck," he giggled. "'Roooooommm..."

With a laugh, John looked around. "Where are Bobby and Alex?"

"She sent him to get some sleep and I sent her to make sure he did. I expect them back any time."

Deakins nodded. "Good. I'm glad he listened. He was exhausted."

Logan nodded agreement. "That's an understatement. As soon as they get back, the nurses are going to transfer Maggie upstairs to room 528."

The captain nodded. "Excellent. I have to head back to New York right now. A new case came in. MacDonald and Sandoval took it, and they're at the crime scene. I need to get back."

A new voice answered from the doorway. "Thank you for coming down, Captain."

"Mommy!"

Logan caught Tommy when he launched himself off the bed at his mother. It always amazed him how complete the little guy's trust was in the adults around him. He never thought about what he did, trusting them to catch him when he dove off furniture without warning. It could be nerve-wracking. Eames took him and hugged him, leaning over to kiss Maggie, who asked, "Where's Daddy?"

"He'll be right here. He's talking to one of the nurses about moving you to your new room."

Deakins gave Maggie a hug. "After you get home, Mommy and Daddy can bring you to my house for a barbecue. How does that sound?"

"Fun!" She looked at Tommy. "We can play ball with Max!"

Tommy clapped his hands. "Mack!"

They loved playing with the Deakins' golden retriever. Deakins said his good-byes and left the room. A few minutes later, Goren came in. "Hey, mouse...ready to go for a ride?"

"Inna car?"

"Not yet. You're going for a bed ride upstairs to a new room."

"A bed ride? Can Tommy ride with me?"

"Sure."

Logan nudged his side. "You look a lot better."

Goren nodded and looked at him. "Thanks, Mike."

"Anytime. We played _Chutes_ _and_ _Ladders_ and tried to convince Tommy the game piece isn't a donut."

Eames had set Tommy back beside his sister and he looked up from his truck. "Donut?"

Logan laughed. "Kid's got an ear for that word. After dinner, buddy."

Within a few minutes, one of the nurses came in and smiled at the two children in the bed. "Well, are you two ready to go for a ride?"

Maggie smiled. "Are we goin' to my new room?"

"Yes, we are."

She looked around the room and nodded. "Okay. We can go."

The nurse laughed and unlocked the wheels on the bed. The room quickly emptied, but Goren hung back. Eames poked her head back in the doorway. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. I was just...thinking."

"About?"

"How close we came to losing her. It...caught me off guard."

"She's going to be fine, Bobby."

"I know she is." He met her eyes. "Do we...do we have to send her to school in September?"

She smiled warmly at him and walked to his side. Slipping her arms around his waist, she hugged him. "Yes, we have to send her to school."

He sighed heavily. "I knew you were going to say that."

"Because you know we have to send her."

He nodded. "I had to ask."

She reached up and kissed him. Leaning into the kiss, he pulled her close, then rested his forehead against hers. She caressed his cheek. "She has to grow up, and you have to let her go, eventually. But there's time...and she'll always be your little girl." She turned away and slid her hand into his. "Come on. She's going to notice we're missing and she'll worry."

"Why would she worry?"

"She always worries when you're out of sight."

"Not when I'm with you, she doesn't."

"Smart girl," she said with a laugh as they left the room and headed down the hall toward the elevators.


	14. Playing Games

Maggie looked around the room as the nurse pushed the head of the bed against the wall. Slowly, she nodded her head. "It's a good room."

The nurse laughed. "I'm glad you approve."

Dark eyes examined the chair that was in the corner. "Daddy?"

"Yes, mouse?"

"Is that chair okay for you?"

"It's fine, baby."

Satisfied, Maggie settled back to play with her brother. She perched her teddy bear on his truck and he crashed it into the side rail of the bed and giggled. "Can we play onna floor?" Maggie asked.

"No," Eames replied. "We want you to get better, baby. The floor is not the place for you to be right now."

She looked at her father, who nodded. "Mommy's right, mouse. It's not like the floor at home. There are a lot more germs in a hospital that can make you sick."

"But isn' a hopsital for makin' peoples better?"

"Ironic, isn't it?" Logan said. "The best place in the world to make people better also houses the bugs that can make us the sickest."

From the doorway, an answer came. "Oh, darn. The secret's out. How did you think we get rid of people?"

"Doctor House!" Maggie said happily.

House raised his eyebrows at the happy greeting. "Hello, Maggie. Looks like the whole family's here."

"Where else would they be?"

That made sense, coming from her. House looked at Goren. "You look better. Get some sleep?"

"Yes."

"Mommy takes good care-a Daddy," Maggie added.

Logan turned away, trying to hide his laughter. The corner of the doctor's mouth quirked up in amusement, as much as at what Maggie said as at the reaction of her parents. A light flush touched Eames' cheeks and Goren leaned back against the wall, suddenly finding the floor very interesting. "Out of the mouths' of babes..." Logan said with a chuckle.

Eames reached over, grabbing Maggie's teddy bear and throwing it at him. He laughed aloud at that point and gave the bear back to his favorite girl.

House couldn't keep back the smile any longer. Yes, this child--and her family--would definitely be bad for his reputation if he didn't get Maggie well and send her home soon. "Well, that being said...how do you feel, Maggie?"

"I'm better. Can I go home now?"

Logan had leaned against the wall beside the window. "Every day I see more and more of her dad in her. That's always his first question, too."

"My toys are missing me, Uncle Mike. An' I get bored here."

"Already?" he laughed.

House leaned on his cane. "It's not time for you to leave yet, Maggie. We're going to keep you for a little while longer. I'm sure we can somehow manage to keep you entertained for a few days." He looked at the skeptical faces around him. "She's five. How hard can it be?"

* * *

House found that keeping Maggie entertained was much more difficult than he anticipated. With the little girl well on her way to recovery, everyone returned to New York, except her father. They decided it best to keep Tommy away from the hospital environment as much as possible, and it would only be a few more days. So Eames took him home. Every afternoon, she left him with her father and drove to Princeton-Plainsboro to spend the afternoon with her husband and daughter. 

And every afternoon, the doctors urged them to spend at least some time alone while one of them sat with Maggie. Cameron and Chase were most at ease with her. Cameron played _Monopoly_, _Jr_, with her and Chase brought in a video game system, amazed when she beat the pants off him in _Mario Kart_ and _Super Monkey Ball Adventure_. She giggled at him. "Daddy's been playin' video games with me since I was two," she informed him.

"That puts me at a distinct disadvantage then. I only started playing when I was ten. Do you beat Daddy, too?"

"Sometimes. Sometimes he wins. An' sometimes I let him win," she confided.

Chase laughed. "I'm sure he would appreciate that, if he knew."

"Don' tell him, Doctor Chase."

"I won't, Maggie. Your secret is safe with me."

Foreman wasn't quite as comfortable with the little girl, but he soon discovered she had an aptitude for strategy games. She beat him at checkers and gave him a real run for his money with mancala.

They left word with the nurses to call the office when Goren was going to be gone from the room and one of them always went to sit with her until he came back. Sometimes they would stop by when they had the time just to visit, and they always got suckered into a game with her, while Goren sat back and watched his little girl make them work for only a possible victory. It was a coin toss who would win.

* * *

In the office, House heard his three _Wunderkinder_ discussing Maggie's prowess at games and he snickered. "All three of you were beaten by a five-year-old? And you aren't hanging your heads in shame?" 

"Not at all," Chase said. "She really is that good. She's been playing these kinds of games with her father for most of her life."

"She's really smart," Foreman put in. "She has an intuitive grasp of logic that a lot of adults never get."

Cameron smiled. "I had a long talk with her mother the other day. Maggie's father is a brilliant man, and she has inherited his intelligence. Her mother's very smart, too, so this kid started with all her ducks in a row. When she asks why, she honestly expects a real answer. She isn't content with simplistic explanations. She's a thinker."

"Go visit with her, House," Chase said. "See for yourself."

"I think I will."

* * *

House stood in the doorway and watched father and daughter bent over a game of checkers, both studying the board intently. The similarities were striking. Maggie made a move, then sat back and giggled. Goren smiled and made a countermove. With another giggle, she jumped three of his pieces. "Gotcha, Daddy!"

He sat back and laughed. "Got me good, mouse."

House came into the room. "Checkers, huh?"

"Daddy's gonna teach me chess next year."

He leaned against the bed. "I heard from my colleagues you like lots of different games."

"I do. I have lotsa games at home. I'm gonna teach Tommy to play, too. Then I don' gotta wait for Daddy to be home."

"What about Mommy or Grandpa?"

"Mommy and I play a game after my bath and Grandpa and I play after lunch when Tommy takes his nap. But I like playing with Daddy because I don' al'ays beat him. An' he likes the hard games. He's teachin' me _Othello_ and _Battleship_. We got a whole stack-a others he's gonna teach me when I'm a little older."

"Does Daddy let you win?"

She looked at her father. "No. I don' think so."

Goren shook his head. "Maggie wins of her own accord most of the time. She has a knack for strategy and she can come up with moves I don't expect. If I try to play at what I think is her level, she'll beat me every time."

"How do you feel about that?"

Goren was puzzled. "About what?"

"Getting beaten by a five-year-old."

"I don't look at it that way, Dr. House. The way I see it, she learns what I teach her, and she learns it well enough to challenge me when we play. That's nothing to be ashamed of."

"No, it's not. Maybe in a few years she'll be ready to work for me. She can already beat my Einsteins."

Maggie smiled. "That would be fun, but I'm gonna do what Daddy does."

"Oh? You want to chase bad guys?"

"Daddy does more than that. He tries to unnerstand what makes 'em bad. He's a..." She frowned. "What'sa word, Daddy?"

"Profiler."

"That's it. Daddy's a profiler. He uses his brain to get the bad guys, not his gun. I don' wanna hurt no one, and Daddy doesn' either."

House looked at Goren. "Impressive. A cop who doesn't like to shoot."

"Only if I have to. I prefer to talk my way out of a situation."

"Your children can learn a lot from you."

"They do."

House looked thoughtful. "Can you do the Times crossword, detective?"

"Yes."

"What a surprise. Go for a walk. I want to play checkers with Maggie."

Goren laughed. "Fine." He kissed Maggie's head. "I'll be back in a little while, mouse."

"Bring me a cookie?"

"Sure."

She watched her father leave as House set up the checkers and sat down to play.

* * *

**A/N: _Mario_ _Kart_ and _Super Monkey Ball Adenture _are by Nintendo. _Monopoly_, _Jr_., is by Parker Brothers, _Battleship_ is by Milton Bradley, and _Othello_ is by Mattel.**


	15. Shall We Dance, Dr House?

"You can go first, Maggie," House said as he sat in the chair facing her.

Perched on the side of the bed, she shook her head. "I'm red. Black goes first."

House smiled and moved his piece. "Have it your way."

She smiled back. "It's not my way. It's-a rules."

_Yes,_ House mused._ This is a cop's kid._ He made his next move. Then Maggie began talking. She simply chatted conversationally as she took her turns and watched House take his.

As the game progressed and House captured more of her pieces, he wondered about his colleagues. Maybe they really did let Maggie win and they were just messing with him about her abilities. He had almost twice as many pieces left on the board as she did. So what if she had three king to his one? He still had another half dozen potential kings making their way across the board. "Do you gots a wife, Dr. House?"

"No."

"Any kids?"

"No, I don't."

She made a double jump. "Do you like kids?"

He stared at the board for a moment before he answered, "It depends on the kid."

She watched him make his next move, then jumped another piece. "King me," she giggled.

He made her last single piece a king and moved his king toward one of hers. She jumped another single piece that he had been ignoring. "You like me."

What was happening here? He had three pieces left. What the hell...? He moved one of those pieces. "Yes, Maggie. I do like you...and your baby."

She smiled happily...and then made a triple jump that cleared his pieces from the board. He sat there in silence and stared at the board. Just a moment ago he'd had seven pieces. Now he had none. "I know that look," came a voice from the doorway. "She just trounced you."

House ignored him. "How...Maggie, how did you do that?"

"Like this."

She placed the three pieces, including House's solitary king, back on the board and moved her piece back where it had been. She repeated the triple jump. House shook his head and looked back at the doorway at Maggie's father. "Go talk to Cameron. She likes you. I'm going to play another game with Maggie."

Goren raised his hands with a grin and blew his daughter a kiss. She waved. "See you inna little while, Daddy."

Two games later, House had lost another one and managed to bring her to a draw in the third. Foreman and Goren had not been kidding about her intuitive grasp of logic and strategy. "Are you sure you don't want to be a doctor, Maggie?"

"I'm sure. I wanna be like Daddy."

House smiled. "I suppose there's no escaping that."

The phone on the bedside table rang and she grabbed it. "Hello."

_Hi, sweetheart. How are you?_

"Hi, Mommy! I'm good. I been playin' checkers with Dr. House."

_Really? That must be fun to watch. Where's Daddy?_

"Dr. House sent him for a walk."

_Of course he did. Let me talk to Dr. House, baby._

"Okay." She held the phone out. "Mommy wants to talk-a you."

House took the phone. "Mrs. Goren, what a pleasure."

_Don't start, doctor. How is Maggie today?_

"If your husband isn't keeping you up to date, I certainly would not want to be him."

_He tells me everything you tell him. I want to hear the same from your mouth so I know you're not keeping anything from him. _

"I'm not that brave. Maggie is doing great. We took her IV out last night, as I'm sure you know. We're waiting a few more days to be certain she is doing well with oral antibiotics and then we'll release her, as much as that will sadden my co-workers."

_Thank you. Let me say good-bye to Maggie and I'll let you two get back to your game. Tell Bobby I'll talk to him later._

"I'll give him the warning."

House handed the phone back to Maggie. "Hi, Mommy."

_You go back to your game, Maggie, and make sure you win._

"I been winnin'."

_Good girl. I'm not going to be able to see you today, but Uncle Mike will come with me to see you tomorrow. _

"Okay, Mommy. Give Tommy a kiss for me, an' I'll give Daddy one for you."

_It's a deal. I'll talk to you later. I love you._

"We love you, too, Mommy. Bye."

She hung up the phone and turned back to the table, where she silently put the checkers away. She was thinking. Finally, she looked at House, studying him with intense eyes. "Do you dance, Dr. House?"

"Do I..._dance_?"

She nodded. "Yes."

He looked at his cane, then back at the child in front of him. "Maggie..."

She waved a hand in the air. "Lemme show you. Maybe if you could dance, you could find a wife."

"I don't think dancing is my problem."

But she ignored him and slid off the bed. She took his hand and pulled. He got up from the chair, grabbed his cane, and walked around the bed with her to a small area free of furniture. She pushed the IV pole against the wall and reached up to take his free hand. Then she rested her other hand on his where he held his cane. She moved slowly around the small area, pushing and pulling him to follow her lead. He moved with her and studied the child whose head barely reached his waist.

She stepped closer, resting her head against his stomach and suddenly left him to lead, which he did. She turned her head to look up at him and smiled. "See? It's not hard."

He stopped and set his cane against the bed. He lifted her up and set her on the mattress, then he sat beside her. "Who taught you to dance?"

"Daddy did. Mommy said he al'ays danced with me, from the time I was born. When I could walk good, he started teaching me so I could dance with him." She smiled. "An' Uncle Mike teached me another kind-a dancing."

"Oh? What kind is that?"

"The one where you jus' stand and wiggle."

She jumped up on the bed and wiggled her body and her head in different directions, then dropped back down beside House. He laughed and straightened out her hair. "Which do you like better?"

"I dunno. Both are fun. I al'ays have fun with Daddy and Uncle Mike, and when I'm on'y with one of 'em, we have diff'rent kinds-a fun." She looked thoughtful. "Uncle Mike is my other best guy, but Daddy will al'ays be my bestest guy."

House nodded, then leaned over to kiss Maggie's head. "Thank you for the dance, Maggie. What do you want to do until Daddy gets here?"

"Do you know how to play Go Fish?"

* * *

When House returned to his office, three pairs of eyes eagerly greeted him. "Well?" Chase demanded.

"We played to a draw."

Foreman snorted. "How many games did that take?"

"Three."

All three young doctors dissolved into laughter as House sat at his desk. "What else did you do?" Cameron asked.

"We played Go Fish, we talked to her mother, who is always a delight, and Maggie taught me to dance so I can find a wife."

They stared at him in silence. Finally Cameron said, "What?"

House raised an eyebrow. "Very good, Cameron. That's all you can think of to say?"

Chase shook his head. "She taught you to dance?"

"So you can get a wife?" Foreman added. "Has she met you?"

"I'm just telling you what she said."

Cameron leaned back against the conference table. "She's still only five. As much as her parents see in their job, they have managed to protect her from that side of life. The world is a much simpler place to Maggie."

"And a much happier place than it really is," House added. "She lives in a very happy world, and I wonder how much she'll suffer when she realizes that world does not exist outside her home."

Foreman said, "Her parents will protect her for as long as they can."

"But they aren't going to let her head out into the world unprepared," Chase put in.

Cameron said, "Like I said, she's only five. I wish we saw more children like her. Let her have a happy childhood. Her parents have plenty of time to let her know what the real world is like."

"Unless it comes around to bite everyone in the ass," House muttered dryly.

He found himself hoping that would never happen. Maggie had done something few others had ever managed. She had touched his heart.


	16. Nightmares

**A/N: This chapter has come about thanks to identical suggestions from blucougar57 and BookWorm37, who both wondered how House and company would react to Maggie and Tom's experiences with their parents' world at the hands of Nicole Wallace. Thanks, guys!

* * *

**

House and Cameron stopped in the doorway of Maggie's room late that night. They heard quiet whimpering in the room, followed by a soft, soothing voice, though they couldn't make out what he was saying. Maggie replied quietly, sobbing softly. House nudged Cameron. "Go ahead. You're the sensitive one. I'll wait here."

She frowned at him before going into the room. Maggie was sitting in her father's lap and he was leaning toward her, once again talking softly. He looked up when he realized she was there. She smiled kindly. "Hi."

Maggie turned to look at her. "Hi, D-Doctor Cameron."

"Why are you sad, Maggie?"

"I had-a bad dream, an-an' I miss my..." She sniffed. "I m-miss my baby, an' M-Mommy."

Cameron looked at Goren, but he was focused on his daughter. She drew a slow breath. "I can understand how you miss your mommy and your brother."

Quietly, Goren said, "She's never been apart from Tommy before. He's going through the same thing. My wife told me tonight that he looks for her all the time. This morning, she found him sleeping in her bed, hugging her favorite stuffed animal."

"My bunny Uncle Mike gived me."

Her heart went out to the little girl. "And you had a bad dream, too? I'm sorry, Maggie."

Goren nodded to the other chair in the room. "Sit down, Dr. Cameron."

She pulled up the chair. Maggie turned around in Goren's lap so she was facing her. "I don' like bad dreams."

"No one does, sweetheart."

"The mean lady comed back and hurted Daddy again."

Cameron looked confused. She shifted her eyes to Goren, who looked pained. "I don't understand."

They were interrupted by a cough from the doorway as House came into the room. "Am I interrupting?"

Cameron rolled her eyes. "Ignore him."

House limped over to join them, leaning against the bed. "Hello, Maggie."

"Hi, D-Doctor House."

He was surprised at the emotion that stirred inside him at the sight of this usually happy child looking so upset. "What's wrong, Maggie?"

"I had-a bad dream, an' I want my baby and Mommy."

"Daddy's right here."

She snuggled into his chest and sighed. "I know. I need my daddy. I jus' want Mommy and Tommy."

The doctors looked at one another, surprised by her distinction. Cameron leaned closer to the child and said, "Would you tell Dr. House about your dream?"

Goren tensed visibly and Maggie instinctively rubbed his arm in response. She pressed more firmly into his chest. "The mean lady comed back an' hurt Daddy."

"Who is the mean lady?"

"Daddy knows who she is. You can tell them, Daddy."

He gently smoothed her hair and looked at the two doctors, his face a mixture of pain and anger. "I don't know what brought this nightmare back." He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "She suffered with it for months before we finally chased it away. At least, I thought we did. It's been a couple of months since she's had one."

House frowned. "How about a more complete explanation, detective."

"Has Maggie had a bad experience?" Cameron asked.

"You think that our world has never touched our children's lives?" Goren asked softly, kissing his daughter's head. "I wish like hell that it never had."

Maggie sighed softly and he gently rubbed her back. She pulled his arm close and hugged it. Softly, she explained, "The mean lady taked me and my baby from Grandpa's house. She hurted me, and then she hurted Mommy and Daddy." She looked at her hands, resting on her father's arm. "She made Daddy's brain go to sleep, and he wouldn' wake up for me. Uncle Mike and I waited and waited...and then Daddy waked up because I was his best medicine."

Goren had closed his eyes and rested his chin lightly on Maggie's head. He tightened his arms around her and she sighed, hugging his arm firmly. Finally, he opened his eyes and looked at the confused doctors. "The woman Maggie is referring to is a psychopath named Nicole Wallace. She and I have a long history of animosity. She has used my past against me...my mother's illness...my partner...anything she could possibly sink her teeth into to cause me pain. She succeeded, to an extent, but she never managed to hit me harder than when she kidnapped my children." His agitation increased and it was a struggle for him to keep it contained. Again, Maggie sensed his tension and rubbed his arm. He settled some. "She intended to take them...across the border into Canada...and then to murder them. M-Maggie took advantage of an opportunity to call 911...looking for me. She could have gotten away, but she would not leave Tom behind. Wallace found her on the phone. She dislocated Maggie's shoulder dragging her back to the car, and shot a man in cold blood when he tried to stop her. Because of Maggie's phone call, we tracked them down in Massachusetts. Mike and his partner rescued the children while Alex and I drew Nicole's attention...and her fire. Alex was seriously injured, but she was able to stay in the hospital we were first taken to. I was transferred to Boston General. For two weeks, I was in a coma and Mike sat with Maggie, trying to explain to her why I wouldn't wake up for her. Once that was all over, the DA subpoenaed Maggie to testify at the trial. She was only four years old, but she did an amazing job. She talked circles around the defense attorney and Nicole was sent to prison for life. It took months for us to get Maggie over those events, doctors. They shook the security of her world to its foundations...and Nicole's lies made her question me. Maggie's life has not been idyllic. But we do everything we possibly can to make certain she and her brother are happy. I can't explain my son's untarnished happiness, but I can tell you it was because of his sister that he came through the kidnapping unscathed. Maggie's happiness I can only say comes from love; it always has."

House watched closely as Goren continued to settle. "She calms you," he observed quietly.

Goren looked at the doctor. "Yes." He kissed her head. "I...I nearly lost my mind when they were taken."

"Your wife kept you together."

"My wife and Mike, yes, but just barely. I don't do so well anymore without my children around."

"Particularly this one."

"Yes."

"She seems equally attached to you."

"She always has been." He shifted uncomfortably. "When I was having a hard time with her mother, she...she was everything to me."

"So things haven't always been perfect with your wife. What a surprise."

"Don't go there, Dr. House. I won't take it."

"Fair enough. I'm not in the mood to get punched again."

"Never doubt my devotion to my family."

House shook his head. "That would never occur to me. Not any more, anyway."

"Daddy?"

He tipped his head down to look at her. "What's wrong, mouse?"

"Can I call Mommy?"

He pulled his phone out and handed it to her. She flipped it open and found her mother's number, pressing the call button. House and Cameron watched her. "Hi, Mommy."

_Maggie? What's wrong?_

"I had-a bad dream about the bad lady comin' back to hurt Daddy."

_Oh, baby... Where is Daddy?_

"He's right here, holdin' me. I miss you and my baby. Where is Tommy?"

_He's sleeping._

"I was, too, until the mean lady waked me up. Daddy's been holdin' me, like he al'ays does." She sighed. "Will you come to see me t'morrow?"

_Of course, I will._

"An' Tommy, too?"

_Yes. I'll bring Tommy. He misses you, too._

"Can Uncle Mike come?"

_I'll ask him._

"He'll say yes."

_He probably will. Uncle Mike can never tell you no._

Maggie giggled. "Daddy can', too."

_I know. Let me talk to Daddy, baby, and we'll see you tomorrow._

"Okay, Mommy." She handed the phone to Goren. "Here, Daddy," she said with a smile. "It's for you."

He took the phone with a small laugh and kissed the side of her head. "Hey, Alex."

_Is she all right?_

"She's fine."

_What triggered the nightmare?_

"I have no idea. But I'm going to guess it has something to do with being separated from her brother."

_Are you all right?_

He paused. "I, uh, I need to go, baby. The doctors are here."

_Bobby..._

"I'll talk to you tomorrow. I love you."

She sighed. _I love you, too. Good night._

He closed the phone. Maggie had settled back against him. He kissed her head. "What don't I do, mouse?"

"You don' tell me no."

He laughed softly. "I guess that's true."

"A-course it is." She yawned. "If my dream comes back..."

She trailed off and he kissed her head. "I'll be here."

"I know," she whispered, yawning again.

She snuggled into his arms and closed her eyes. He looked back at the doctors. "Is there anything else?"

"No. You can call us if you need us," Cameron offered. "Will you be able to sleep now, too?"

He shook his head. "I'll be all right."

"We can give you something..."

"No, thank you. I'm fine."

She stood, hesitating briefly to touch Maggie's cheek. She met Goren's eyes and offered a supportive smile, then left the room. House remained where he was and Goren looked at him. "Is there something else?"

"You tell me."

"What are you talking about?"

Cameron poked her head back in the door. "Dr. House?"

"We're bonding, Dr. Cameron. You go on."

She looked at Goren briefly, then left the room. Goren raised an eyebrow. "Bonding?"

"I exaggerated. Now level with me. Has anything else happened that might have traumatized Maggie?"

Goren was quiet for a long time before he finally answered. "When my wife went on maternity leave just before Tom was born, a...complicated case came up. Mike and I took the case, and it led us out of state. We were involved in a shooting and then a near-fatal car crash in Texas. My family had no idea where we were when we left the area. For three weeks, we were missing. Do I have to tell you what impact that had on my daughter, with the both of us gone from her life?" He looked directly at the doctor. "She stopped laughing, stopped playing. She was...lost. I...I still have trouble with that."

"I can imagine. So you missed your son's birth?"

"What? No, of course not. But it was right after he was born that Mike and I had to leave." He shifted restlessly, but kept Maggie close. "My wife did a wonderful job of keeping Maggie from associating our absence with the baby's arrival. She did...does...a wonderful job with a lot of things."

House nodded his head slowly. "How long after that were they kidnapped?"

"Nine months. Tommy was ten months old."

"That was in...October then?"

"Yes."

House studied Maggie, who slept comfortably against her father's chest. "She is very happy in spite of two very traumatic events in her life, all within one year." He paused. "You said this woman's lies made Maggie question you?"

Goren ran a hand through his hair. He rose and gently laid Maggie in her bed, covering her with a blanket and kissing her temple. "Walk with me, Dr. House." They left the room. Goren spoke quietly. "There were things that Maggie didn't know. Things I never wanted her to know. All I ever wanted for my children was to give them a very different childhood than I had. I just want them to be happy and secure. Nicole Wallace tried to take that from Maggie. She told her we didn't need her and her brother because we had each other and we could always have other babies. She let her believe I could harm her and the baby, and their mother, too. She planted seeds of doubt about me in Maggie's mind."

"What did you do about it?"

"I resisted the temptation to shoot Wallace." House looked at him, unable to tell if he was serious. Goren continued, "I talked to Maggie, reassured her. I let her know that sometimes, adults lie. Sometimes they hurt children and do bad things. When she asked me if my father loved me, I honestly couldn't answer that question because to this day, I really don't know. But Maggie has no reason to doubt that any of us love her."

"You, in particular, I would say. It seems to me she got over it."

"She did. But it's something she should never have had to deal with."

"Children grow up, detective. They learn all kinds of thing we wish they never would. They learn about cruelty and hatred. They learn to lie and they hurt the ones they love. It's part of growing up."

"I know," he said softly. "But she's five. I've done everything I can to protect her from that."

"And you've done an admirable job, from what I can see. She's a loving child. She's going to start school soon, isn't she?"

"Yes. In September. I tried to talk my wife out of sending her, but it didn't work."

House laughed. "Imagine that."

Goren looked sideways at him. "You don't like my wife."

House stopped at the nurses' station. "We're going to the cafeteria for a minute," he told one of the nurses. "Maggie is asleep, but if she wakes up looking for her father, page me right away."

She nodded. "Yes, Doctor House."

House returned his attention to Goren as they headed for the elevators. "Coffee's on me."

"Are you going to answer me?"

"I don't recall you asking a question."

"Do you want me to rephrase it?"

House shook his head. "Not necessary. Your wife is a..." he paused, looking for a term that would not anger the larger man. "...a strong-willed woman."

"You have no idea." He smiled. "She's tough as nails...but she's also very loving. Don't rub her the wrong way, though. She rubs back. Hard."

They had arrived at the cafeteria and House got two cups of coffee. He looked at Goren. "Cream? Sugar?"

"Just cream."

The doctor paid for the coffee and they sat at a table. "How long have you known her?"

"My wife? Eleven years. Is this relevant to anything?"

"No. I'm just nosy."

Goren laughed softly as House looked at his pager when it went off. "That's pediatrics. Let's get back."

They got to their feet and headed for the elevator. It was a struggle for Goren to restrain his speed so House could keep up with him. He paced impatiently as they waited for the elevator, anxiously eyeing the stairwell. The elevator finally arrived and he continued to pace as it ascended to the fifth floor. House watched him with interest. When the doors opened, Goren launched himself from the car, no longer waiting for the doctor. House nodded at the nurses as he hurried past the station toward Maggie's room. By the time he got there, Maggie was in her father's arms, softly sobbing. One hand rubbed his cheek and she said, "I wanna go home, Daddy."

"Soon, mouse." He shushed her softly. "I won't go anywhere. Go back to sleep."

House walked into the room and watched them for a moment before he touched Maggie's arm. "Did you have another bad dream, Maggie?"

She nodded. "I lost my baby," she explained with another sob. "He distappeared with Daddy."

Her arms tightened around her father's neck. House lightly touched her cheek, then patted Goren's shoulder. "We can give her something to help her sleep without dreaming."

"No. I'll just hold her. She'll be alright. She doesn't have nightmares when I hold her."

"That doesn't surprise me." He squeezed Maggie's arm. "I'll see you tomorrow, Maggie. Take care of your daddy."

"I al'ays do," she answered with a brief smile. House turned in the doorway to look back into the room. Goren had taken his seat and settled Maggie in his lap. He propped his legs on the other chair and leaned back, gently rubbing her back. She had closed her eyes and she sighed softly. He looked toward the ceiling as he held his daughter. House left the room.


	17. Pleasant Surprises

After breakfast the next morning, Maggie was sitting on her father's lap while he slept, looking through a book. When someone stopped in the doorway to her room, she looked up and said, "Shhh. Daddy's sleeping. He didn' sleep too good las' night."

A tall woman in a white lab coat came into the room. She had long dark hair and a kind smile. Placing a finger over her lips, she said, "I'll be quiet. How do you feel today, Maggie?"

"I'm good."

"My name is Dr. Cuddy. I'm Dr. House's boss."

"I like Dr. House."

"That's something I don't hear very often."

"He's jus' grumpy. Peoples don' unnerstand him."

"Do you?"

Maggie looked thoughtful. "Maybe he needs someone to make him not so grumpy...like a baby."

Cuddy looked surprised. "A baby?"

"Yeah. Daddy al'ays tells us that we're the bes' part of his life. Maybe Dr. House needs a bes' part of his life, too, so he can be happy."

"I think Dr. House was born grumpy, sweetheart, and being grumpy is what makes him happy."

"He's not grumpy to me...but he doesn' like Mommy alot."

"He doesn't like a lot of people, but he does like you."

Maggie's soft chatter and restless shifting as she talked roused Goren, who wrapped an arm around her middle as he sat up, looking around the room in dazed confusion. As the sleep cleared from his mind and his confusion receded, he tightened his arm around Maggie and studied Cuddy. Maggie turned toward him. "Look, Daddy...Dr. House's boss comed to see me."

She held out her hand. "Lisa Cuddy," she introduced herself.

He accepted her hand. "Bobby Goren. Sorry I was asleep..."

"No need to apologize," Cuddy assured him. "Maggie was sweet enough to explain that you didn't sleep well last night."

He looked at the perceptive child in his lap. "She did?"

Maggie looked at him again. "You hadda bad night, Daddy. But it'll be better soon, when we can go home. Mommy al'ays makes things better."

He smiled and kissed the side of her head. "Yes, she does."

Cuddy slipped her hands into the pockets of her lab coat. "I am sorry we woke you. I have heard that you haven't slept much since Maggie was admitted. I've heard a lot about this little girl, and I wanted to stop by and say hello before she goes home." She smiled at Maggie. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Maggie. Do you mind if I borrow your daddy for a few minutes?"

"Okay, you can borrow him." She looked at her father. "Can we play Battleship when you come back?"

Goren nodded. "Sure. Go ahead and set it up."

Cuddy smiled again. "I hear you're a very good checkers player."

Maggie nodded. "I like checkers. I played with Dr. House and Dr. Foreman. Uncle Mike won't play checkers with me now 'cause he says he can' win. But Daddy al'ays plays. He don' care if I win."

Goren set her gently in her bed and handed her the Battleship game. He kissed her head. "I won't be long."

She opened the plastic game case before looking up at him. "Okay, Daddy."

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Maggie."

Maggie smiled at her. "Thank you for coming to see me, Dr. Cubby."

Cuddy laughed and left the room with Goren. "She's a delight."

"Thank you."

"I am the hospital administrator, detective, and I really wanted to meet Maggie before she's discharged. I also wanted to talk to you."

"Why?"

"They told me House does not intimidate you."

Goren laughed. "Very few people intimidate me, Dr. Cuddy."

"I also heard you punched him the day Maggie was admitted."

Goren looked at the floor as they walked. "I...apologized. Believe me, my wife read me the riot act on that one." He hesitated. "He accused me...of harming my daughter. I was already stressed out and...I-I lost my temper. I swear—I'm not usually like that."

"Dr. House is not known for his tact, and you are not the first person to lose your temper with him. The hospital will not press charges, and neither will he."

"Thank you."

"I have heard a lot of good things about you since then: how you are with your family, the way you treat my staff with courtesy and respect, the fact that House actually respects you. He told me quite a story this morning, but to tell you the truth, I can never tell if he's being serious with me or not. Were your children kidnapped by a psychopath last fall?"

"Yes, they were."

"What a difficult thing for you and your wife to deal with."

"You have no idea."

"The stress something like that can place on a marriage..."

"Yes, Dr. Cuddy. I know."

"And then, to have this happen with Maggie...You have had a very stressful time lately, not to mention very stressful jobs..."

He looked at her. "My wife and I are fine."

"May I ask why you have been the one to remain here with Maggie?"

"Is that a problem?"

"Not at all. I am just curious."

"My wife understands me, and that is not an easy thing to do. I-I needed to be here with Maggie. I can't even begin to explain what condition I would be in if I wasn't. My wife handles this a lot better than I do. She would never have gotten to the point I did the other day when I hit the doctor. And a hospital is no place for a healthy toddler who likes to play on the floor. My son is lost without his sister, and he needs his mother. Sh-she can still function and make things a little easier for him. She can deal with him sitting in the closet waiting for Maggie to find him and looking under the bed, the couch and the bathroom sink trying to find her."

Cuddy laughed. "Your children are close to each other."

"Very."

"Do they play well with other children?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Just wondering." She hesitated. "How is your health, Detective Goren?"

"My health? Fine. Alex and I both had physicals two months ago. We got a clean bill of health."

She nodded. "Do you have a social life?"

"I have a family," he answered, beginning to feel his anger well. "But if you must pry... yes, I do. We both do. I go out on Friday nights and she goes out on Saturdays. The rest of the week we are home with the children. My father-in-law watches them while we work and a couple of times a month they spend the night with my best friend so Alex and I can spend time alone. Does that satisfy you?"

She read the irritation in his voice. "I just want to be certain things are all right at home before we discharge Maggie."

He fought down a flare of rage similar to what he felt when House inferred he had caused Maggie's illness. He stopped and turned to face Cuddy, backing her against the wall. He placed his palm flat against the wall beside and just above her head. His voice was low, intense and angry. "For four months my daughter was terrified to let me out of her sight. She didn't want her mother or me to go anywhere without her. It broke my heart to hear her sob every time we left her. She had terrible nightmares and we spent hours comforting and reassuring her. We finally seemed to have gotten her past all that and this had to happen. But this has shaken _my_ world, not hers. She's going to start school in a couple of months and I have to find some way to start letting her go. I-I don't know if I can do that, but my wife will make certain that I do. Now do you have any concerns I have not touched on, doctor?"

Cuddy could clearly see why few people intimidated this man, and she wondered yet again about House's sanity at not being more wary of angering him the way he did. "I am satisfied," she assured him, careful to hide her discomfort at his proximity.

He moved his face a little closer and she couldn't keep herself from trying to draw away, further into the wall. She wondered if he actually meant to appear menacing or if that was simply a by-product of his size and his intensity. His anger, she could tell, had dissipated. "God knows I'm not perfect, Dr. Cuddy. And I can't even begin to explain why my wife loves me like she does. I'm just grateful that she does. I know I love her more than I can ever show. I have made a lot of mistakes, but there is one thing in my life I have done absolutely right. I have loved my children and they have no doubts that I do. I had an uncertain childhood, but my children have all the love and security I can give them. They will question a lot of things in their lives, but how I feel about them will never be one of those things. If I never do another thing right, I have done that."

She watched him walk away, slowly releasing the breath she did not even realize she was holding. He was an intimidating man when angry, but he was also filled with a raw passion she rarely saw in the people around her. As she headed back toward her office, she could not help reflecting on what a fortunate woman his wife was to have him and she hoped she knew it.

* * *

Not long after lunch, Tommy came barreling into the room. "Dada!"

He dove at his father, who caught him in a bear hug. "Hey, tiger," he said as he kissed the baby's neck.

Giggling, Tommy turned to look toward the bed. "Maga!"

"Tommy!" She laughed back at him.

Eames came into the room, followed by Logan. As soon as he saw Logan, Tommy slid to the floor and ran to him, tugging on his jacket. "Unna My! Twinnie, Unna My! Pees!"

Goren gave Logan a quizzical look as Eames shook her head. Logan grinned. "I, uh, I made the mistake of introducing your son to Twinkies."

"What did you do that for? Aren't jelly donuts enough?"

"I was out of donuts, so shoot me."

"Don't tempt me." He pointed a finger at his friend. "When he wakes me up at four in the morning demanding a Twinkie, you are going to hear from me, and I promise you I am not going to be happy."

Logan lifted the little guy from the floor and set him on the bed. "Sorry, man," he told Goren. "I didn't know what else to give him. I offered him a carrot and he looked at me like I'd lost my mind." He took a Twinkie from his jacket pocket, unwrapped it and gave it to the baby.

"Than'u!"

Crushing the Twinkie in one fist, Tom crawled to his sister and announced, "Twinnie, Maga!" He held out the crushed cake and frowned at it. "Uh, oh..."

He hesitated for a moment before tasting it and then, convinced it was still a Twinkie, he held it out to his sister. "Bite!"

Maggie readily complied by taking a bite. Tommy laughed. "Twinnie!" he announced again with a giggle before shoving half the remaining cake in his mouth.

Laughing, Logan said, "You gotta admit he's cute."

"So when he's being cute and asks for a pony, you're gonna give him one?"

Logan narrowed his eyes at Goren. "I think a pony in the bathtub is just the touch your apartment needs."

"You're not funny." He shifted his eyes toward his wife, who was watching the children and not paying any attention to them. He frowned. Something was troubling her. "Mike," he said. "Watch the kids."

He gently led his wife from the room, tipping his head down to look at her as they walked down the hall. "What's wrong?"

"I've missed you."

"That's not what's wrong. It's been a couple of days. Come on, Alex...I-I'm sorry I was a little short with you last night. I...I hate that her nightmares have come back, and I...I wasn't okay. I just didn't want to get into it right then. You know how I get."

"It's not that. I understand that."

"Then what's wrong?"

"I'm not sure anything is really wrong...but I have no idea what you're going to say about it."

"So tell me and you'll find out."

It wasn't that easy, and this was definitely not the setting she wanted to discuss this in. So she led him out of the building and down the tree-lined street away from the hospital complex. Once the hustle and bustle of the hospital was behind them, everything changed. The late June sun was warm and there was a light breeze blowing through the trees. Large yards were blooming with fragrant flowers and the trees were in full leaf. This was a much better setting. She rested her head against his arm, and she could feel the tension in him. She knew how much he hated it when something was bothering her. She looked up into troubled eyes that became confused when he couldn't interpret her expression. "Tell me," he pleaded.

"Are you happy with Maggie and Tommy?"

"What kind of question is that? You know I am."

"So our family is complete?"

"I would say so. Why?"

"You told Maggie that she and Tommy were all we needed and there weren't going to be any more babies, didn't you?"

"Uh, yes...after Nicole told her we could always have more babies to replace her and Tom. Alex...?"

"Yeah, well, you're kind of going to have to revise that explanation, Bobby. I...I went to the doctor yesterday because I haven't been feeling well. I'm fine." She stopped and looked up into his eyes. "Perfectly healthy and perfectly pregnant."

He stared at her for a moment before he walked to the curb and sat down. _Pregnant?_ She sat beside him and leaned into him. Absently he put his arm around her. _Pregnant?_ He rubbed his forehead and propped his elbow on his knee. Turning his head to look at her, he quietly asked, "Pregnant?"

She nodded, uncertain of his reaction. She hated that he could be so difficult to read. "Pregnant," she confirmed.

"Um, how do you feel about it?"

"That's what I want to know. How _you_ feel."

He laughed quietly, further confusing her. "I, um, I am with you every step of the way, baby. You know that. But I can't carry a baby inside me. That burden is entirely on you. How I feel is utterly irrelevant."

"Not to me," she whispered, annoyed at the lump that formed in her throat.

When his arm tightened around her, she pressed her head more firmly into his shoulder and felt his lips press into her head. His cheek rested against the side of her head and his breath whispered past her ear. "I'm fine with it. I'm happy. I could never be unhappy about having a baby, unless you are."

He felt her relax against him. She really had been worried about how he would react to the news. He kissed her temple as she said, "I'm happy, too. I just wanted to make sure you would be, after what you told Maggie."

He paused. "I suppose that was...premature. We really didn't talk about it, did we?"

"No, we didn't, but that's okay. You can explain it to her. I'll tell Tommy."

He slowly nodded. "Okay. I'll tell Maggie. You can tell Deakins."

"Oh, crap...How about I tell Maggie and you tell Deakins?"

"Not a chance, baby doll." He kissed her. "Not a chance." He kissed her again.

* * *

When they got back to the room, House was there, playing Battleship with Maggie as Logan kept Tommy out of the playing field. He liked to chew on the little white pegs. House looked up at them, his gaze resting on Goren. "I heard Dr. Cuddy came to see you."

"She did."

"Irritating, isn't she?"

"I don't appreciate anyone prying into my private life."

"She's good at that. Sometimes I think she's nosier than I am. I assume you addressed her concerns."

"I suppose so."

"You didn't hit her, did you?"

"Of course not."

"Damn."

Goren frowned at him when Tommy giggled and repeated him. The child heard thousands of words a day, but that was the one he chose to repeat. Maggie said, "No, no, Tommy. That's a Daddy word."

Logan started laughing. Goren shot a glare in his direction, then turned it on House. "Oops. My bad," the doctor said. He looked at Maggie. "Why don't you tell Mommy and Daddy what we were talking about, Maggie?"

"Dr. House says I can go home now!"

Her parents looked at House, who explained, "There's no reason for her to stay until tomorrow. We're getting a couple of very sick kids in tonight and I don't want Maggie getting sick again. I already wrote the orders. You can take her home." He nodded at a gift bag near the door. "There is an outfit for Maggie to wear home. Cameron picked it out." He stood up. "Thank you for the game, Maggie. I suppose I had better get back to work."

He stopped near the foot of the bed and held a hand out to Goren, something he rarely did. Goren accepted it. "Thank you, Dr. House."

"Keep her away from those jellyfish."

"Count on it."

Maggie pushed the tray table to the side. "But I can still eat jelly, right?"

House nodded. "Yes, you can still eat jelly."

She stood on the bed and walked to him, throwing her arms around his neck. "'Member what I teached you. Don' be so grouchy. It's okay for peoples to like you."

He hugged her back, still certain he didn't want 'peoples' to like him, but finding himself grateful this little person did. She bounced across the bed to where Logan stood, holding her brother. House headed for the door, stopping before he passed Eames. "Have I shown enough interest for you now?"

"You're an ass, Dr. House," she said quietly, not wanting her son to pick up on more colorful 'Daddy words'. "But thank you for everything you and your team did. I don't think I have to tell you what would have happened if we'd lost her."

Her eyes strayed to her husband, who was helping Maggie to put the game away in preparation for going home. "You're welcome, Mrs. Goren. And yes, I understand. Take care." He paused in the doorway and turned back. "You can get her ready and her nurse will be in to discharge her. I'm certain the _Wunderkinder_ will want to say good-bye, so I'll send them up."

They took the clothes out of the bag, finding beneath them a tow truck for Tommy and a doll for Maggie. Maggie took off her hospital gown while Logan sat Tommy at the foot of the bed and played with him and his tow truck. She pulled on the ivory-colored shirt with pink trim and then slipped on the pink denim overalls the doctors had given her. Eames put on her socks and tied her sneakers for her while Goren talked with the nurse and signed the papers discharging her.

As he finished signing the paperwork, the three doctors House referred to as his _Wunderkinder_ arrived. Chase smiled at the little girl. "We're glad you're going home, Maggie, but I'll miss playing video games with you."

She smiled. "You play good, Dr. Chase. I had fun." She hugged him. "Keep practicin'," she said into his ear.

"I will, sweetheart."

Foreman accepted her hug next as Chase said his farewell to her parents. "Maybe you can come to visit after Daddy teaches you to play chess," he suggested. "I think it would be fun to play chess with you."

"Okay, Dr. Foreman. I'd like to play chess with you," she smiled.

Finally, Cameron stepped up to the bed. She held the little girl close. "I'm going to miss you. Make sure you take good care of Mommy and Daddy."

"I al'ays take care-a my fam'ly."

Cameron laughed. "I can tell that you do." She stepped back and examined the child in her new outfit, pleased she had gotten the right size. "Cute."

"Thank you. I like my new clothes."

"I'm glad. Good-bye, baby girl."

"Good-bye, Dr. Cameron."

Cameron said good-bye to Eames, then turned to Goren. "I know I don't have to tell you to take care of them, but take care of yourself, too."

"I'll try to remember that."

"I wish the circumstances had been different, but it really was nice to meet you and your family."

"Thank you. I, uh, I appreciate everything you did for Maggie. I really do."

She reached forward and lightly squeezed his forearm. "Take care."

Ten minutes later, they took Maggie out of the hospital where she had nearly died, active, happy and once again perfectly healthy. Once in the car, Logan, who was perfectly content to sit in the back seat squeezed between the two carseats, taught the kids annoying travel songs as they headed for home.

Goren rubbed his forehead and turned to look at his best friend after the fourth round of "Are We There Yet?". Both kids giggled and Logan grinned broadly. Goren's eyes narrowed. "Just wait, Mike. You just wait until your kid is a little older."

"He'll be singing the same songs, right along with these two," Logan answered.

Eames looked at him in the rearview mirror. "And who is going to protect you from your wife? You won't always be able to hide behind the baby."

"I was kinda counting on Bobby. She may love me, but she _likes_ him more."

"You want my protection?" Goren asked. "Quit teaching my kids to be annoying."

"As if either one of them could _ever_ annoy you."

Maggie looked concerned. "Do we 'noy you, Daddy?"

"Of course not, mouse. I'm just giving Uncle Mike a hard time."

She nodded, satisfied, and returned her attention to Logan and Tommy.

Eames held out her hand toward Goren, palm up. He looked at it for a moment, then placed his own open palm under her hand, drawing it upward so he could kiss it. She caught her breath when his tongue flickered across the sensitive portion of her inner palm. She met his eyes for a second before returning them to the highway. With the tip of a finger, he continued what his tongue had started, caressing circles and lines over her skin. When she closed her hand around his finger, holding it still, he laughed softly. He didn't miss the heat in her eyes when she looked at him again, and she knew from the satisfied smile on his face that he had told her the truth. He was happy about her pregnancy. She rested her hand on his thigh and smiled. It was going to be a great night.

_fin_.


End file.
